A Burning Fire
by DiscoUnicorn
Summary: Yuri finds that loving a ninja proves to be as dangerous as being a ninja. Kakashi/OC and Kiba/OC maybe . NOT FOR KIDS.
1. Chapter 1

I started this story almost a year ago. I'm trying to catch it up with the manga near the end [it has a few minor differences]. I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the show. Oh, Kakashi. *tear*

The land stretched out for uninhabited miles of green and brown splendor captured in the eyes of a young woman. A soft breeze shook the tall green slivers of grass suddenly causing it to bend towards the land she knew would lead her home. The brown grass in front of the green grass seemed to be a telltale sign of what lay ahead for her in the land she had not seen for almost six months now. Her falsely colored eyes darted across the flat land again. There had to be some type of reason shinobi hated flat land. Her black sandal crushed a handful of grass underneath it as she took a hesitant step forward. Oh yes! She hated flat land because it made her feel as if she was naked to the world. If she weren't in such a rush to return home, she probably would have taken the long way; it was safer. Her sandals moved across the ground quickly, too fast for her to kick up any dust as she ran across luscious green grass and naked patches of brown here and there. She stopped on the edge of the brown grass and fought back an urge to turn around. Some part of her would actually miss the few friends she had made while she was away. She smiled heartily as she launched forward on her tiptoes; friends were a dime a dozen. There was no need for her to stay in a land where she wasn't needed. All she'd do was ruin things.

The most beautiful sight in her life had to be the one of the large gate she approached. Of course her eyes had gazed upon many a splendors, but none of them filled her with such completion and gratitude as the welcoming gate of their village. She handed her papers to a masked man standing in attention and breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded to the man controlling the gate. After a quick hug, she darted through the gate and disappeared on top of one of the houses. She jumped from roof to roof skillfully with a purple scroll clasped in one hand and a report almost as thick as a book in the other. She landed in front of the hokage's office with a frown. If Lady Tsunade kept insisting she sneak upon the place like a criminal, she just might decide to become one. A smirk stretched her masked face as she went inside. She nodded to certain people she recognized, but kept her surge of excitement contained when she saw Shizune approaching. They talked briefly and Shizune had her wait for the hokage in the hall. She was called inside when Shizune appeared in the doorway with a crooked smile as several men trooped out of the office with defeated looks.

The door closed loudly behind her. Her body relaxed into an almost slouchy stance as she placed the scroll and report on the desk. The hokage looked at her expectantly. She reached for the back of her shirt and lifted it slightly. Lady Tsunade nodded and ripped open the scroll. Her blue eyes widened as she scanned the classy writing. "You executed the leader's two daughters?"

"Yes, I found that they were the ones behind the assassination attempts on the royal family. They were actually illegitimate twins of his." She pulled at the hem of the black mask she wore.

"You may remove them if you like."

The girl bowed and removed the white mask that resembled a cat's face then she lifted the tight black mask. Her long, silky black hair fell out down to her waist in a mass of tangles. "Thank you."

"I know how you feel confined in so many clothes. Damn, is this your report?" Tsunade grabbed the thick stack of papers that were bound by a cloth string. "Wonderful. You numbered the pages. Always a joy when you take missions. You do all my work for me. I have something else you could do, if you like. A simple mission."

The girl shifted her weight and cast her eyes towards the ceiling. She really had nothing to go home to except her father, who was probably on a mission himself. "How long do you estimate this mission will take?"

"A week or two at most. No, your father is not on a mission." Tsunade gave her a bored expression. She smiled when the girl agreed by nodding that she would take the mission. Great! "Your new mission is to escort the prince from the land of ice back home. You leave in two days!"

Muscles in her neck strained as she bowed. "Thank you." She pulled her black mask back on and slipped her white mask into her bag. She jumped out the window and landed gently on the roof of a house she still didn't know who occupied. And how many years had she been jumping from that window? She laughed and moved quickly from roof to roof, her form nothing but a blur.

She landed at the back door and slipped inside. She ducked a thrown kunai and flipped behind the counter that sat in the middle of the room. What an annoyance! After fishing her ANBU mask from her bag, she lifted it, but lowered it when she heard that familiar crack in the air of something being thrown. She ripped the black mask from her face and crawled to the end of the counter. A shuriken flew past her face just as she made to look around the corner. Her heart pounded in her chest as she sat back with her head against the cold wood.

"Papa! It's me, Yuri." Her voice was low, but loud enough for him to hear.

"And how old were you when you kissed your first boy?" His harsh voice sounded as if he had barked the question out.

Laughter rose into the air from behind the counter. "Papa, I have yet to find a man strong enough to tie me down for a kiss."

"Give me a hug then."

She wrapped her arms around his thick muscular frame and kissed on him on the cheek before punching him on the head. "You could have killed me."

"Not before you killed me."

He patted her on her head of matted black hair and went to the refrigerator. Whenever she came back from a mission, he wanted to ask her how things had gone, but he was an active ANBU member himself. He knew it was strongly against code for them to talk about missions outside the office of the hokage. He poured her a large cup of orange juice and sat down at the table across from her. She downed the quickly and slammed the cup on the table.

"I'm going to rest. Then, we will enjoy my time back before I set out on my next mission in a few days. At least I don't have to wear my ANBU disguise for that mission." She kissed him on the cheek again before snatching up her bag and bounding towards the bathroom.

Bath. The only thing that made her hate being on missions was when she felt too uncomfortable to use other people's tubs. She usually would clean herself up with a clean bowl of warm water and leave it at that. And then the only time she used the water was if she prepared it herself. Her friends had found some of habits strange, but Yuri did not want to risk being poisoned or killed. A deep sigh escaped her tense body as she relaxed her head against the white porcelain. The herbs she had added to the water made her feel especially clean. She closed her eyes and hummed a song she had learned while she was away. Her body soon relaxed so that she fell asleep in the water.

She jolted awake when her father slammed his fist repeatedly on the door. With a groan, she climbed from the water, pulling the plug in the process, and wrapped a large fluffy purple towel around her body. She wrapped a smaller one around her head. Her father stared at her pointedly as she walked past him with her eyes averted in embarrassment. That was, what, the fiftieth time she'd fallen asleep in the tub? He slammed the door to the bathroom too loudly for her liking. She dropped the towel she wore right beside her closed door and walked over to her closet. She pulled out a fitting long sleeved green shirt with a round neck and khaki pants that reached her ankles. She rubbed on sweet smelling body oil before pulling on her black panties, a sheer black bra, and then her clothes.

Her eyes stared daringly at the light brown woman gazing at her in the mirror. Her fluffy pink lips stretched into a smile as she grabbed her brush and shook the towel from her hair. She slowly pulled the brush through her tangled hair until it was shiny and straight again. With her left hand, she clipped her hair until it was an inch above her waist. She threw the sharp silver scissors back into the box and placed the brush gently beside them. With a hopeful smile, she moved to the mirror on the wall that was made for her by her father. Gold and silver iron had been used to frame the mirror. She took several steps forward and stopped. Same old Yuri. She slipped her feet into her sandals before running back into the front room.

It was a wonderful day for them to go for a walk. Yuri had decided that she didn't really need any rest since she had rested well the last week she was away. They walked the streets silently; Yuri had her arms wrapped tightly around her father's left arm. Her eyes darted from vendor to vendor until she found what she was looking for. She clapped happily and approached a man standing in front of several caged animals. He gave her a strange smile that actually looked like a smirk and frown pressed into one. Her blue eyes searched the cages behind him desperately.

"You do realize that I agreed to your getting a pet with the idea that I would choose it." He grabbed the man's arm when he turned to retrieve the large snake Yuri pointed to. "No. No snakes. Something with legs."

She frowned and pressed her lips together tightly. Perfect! Her finger pointed towards a cage at the middle of the stack. A giggle of glee erupted from her when the man put the small animal in her arms. "Oh, Papa, he is perfect. I will buy him. Yes?" Her eyes remained on the small face gazing up at her. She frowned and flipped the animal over to find that it was actually a female. Didn't she want an animal that could keep up with her? Fine. She dug in her purse and slammed several large amounts of paper bills on the counter. "How do I care for her?"

The man looked at her stupidly. "I don't know. She was a runt from the last litter at the Inuzuka's house. You know that clan that has all the dogs? They thought it would be better to sell her than to kill her. Uhh just feed her food. I guess. And make sure you love her." He laughed at the last sentence.

Yuri frowned at him. "Keep the change." She cradled the animal in her arms lovingly before nuzzling it in the stomach. The small puppy gave a weak bark. She gave the puppy to her father, who was a well known shinobi but also a medic-nin. She darted ahead and bought a basket, blankets, and toys for the animal. She lifted the puppy in the air happily and twirled around.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, I guess." Her father's voice floated to her ears over her laughter. She gave him another kiss on the cheek. It was a great birthday.

Shizune's sister had been in the same year as Yuri at the academy. She and Shizune stood idly at a densely populated pub. Yuri waved to her old friend and tapped the girl's sister on the shoulder as she took a seat. After ordering a cup of tea, she turned to look around the place. Wow. Was everyone away on missions? She slid the man a bill and turned her attention to her two friends. They were deep in conversation about how Sasuke had finally returned home after being gone for almost five years. Yuri rolled her eyes. Of course her friend, Luna, had been a huge lover of Sasuke's since the academy. Shizune laughed when Yuri made a choking sound as Luna broke into a monologue about how amazing the guy was. He must not be too amazing if he abandoned his friends just to go kill his brother.

"I want to help him revive his clan." Luna said dreamily.

Yuri spit up a mouthful of tea and stared at her friend incredulously. Was she seriously saying things like that aloud now? Had someone slipped her buddy some type of concoction to make her forget where she was? Her hand slapped her forehead loudly as she lay down against the cold wood of the counter. Please let her make it through the next day without having to beat her friend and former teammate into submission.

They moved to a booth in the corner when people began to pile in. After a few drinks, Yuri had relaxed and was busily telling the girls about her new puppy and the moron that sold it to her. They laughed loudly when she mentioned how the man stared at her and didn't give her any instructions on how to care for the thing. She rested her chin on her fist. "Dad's been trying to figure out what's wrong with her."

Shizune nodded and looked out into the crowd of people. "There is Kiba Inuzuka right there with Shino Abarume. Go ask for his help then. If they actually gave the guy the puppy, he should know. He probably stole it."

"Do you think I would risk having my puppy taken from me? Screw that." She laughed and moved her hair over her shoulder. When the man in question looked their way, she gave him a little smile before turning her attention back to her friends. "Besides, my dad will figure it out."

"I have a mission tomorrow." Luna shrugged when Shizune puffed her cheek in frustration. "How else can I manage living alone? Plus, I have nothing to do. I'll be away for two or three months." She chewed on her straw thoughtfully.

"I wish you well on your mission. I have my own to attend to in a day. I promised Papa I would spend all of tomorrow with him. We're waking early to go fishing! We may even train in the forest!"

Luna frowned. "You're the strangest woman I know. Excluding you, Shizune." She ran to the bar and returned with three glasses of brown liquid. She lifted hers into the air. "Here's to eighteen years!"

Yuri laughed as they clinked their glasses together. Three other glasses appeared within the huddle. Luna flushed a furious red color before downing hers and turning towards the wall. Shizune smiled at the three men happily. Yuri scratched her shoulder and pretended to be interested in the pattern on the tablecloth. Her friend's foot collided with her leg underneath the table. Her eyes widened in pain before she returned to favor. Luna kicked her again. "Stop it!" Yuri snatched her coat and forced a smile. She extended her hand to the three males standing at their booth. "It was wonderful to meet you." She turned to a blushing Luna. "Just a guy…" she muttered. The three men frowned.

"GAH!" She held her coat over her arm as she walked home fuming over how silly her friend had acted when Sasuke, fox boy, and Inuzuka, had come over to the table. Then again, it was a tad better than how she had reacted that time when they saw the third hokage for the first time. He had been beautiful. Or whatever. She fished inside her coat for a piece of candy. To her surprise, there actually was a piece of strawberry flavored taffy wrapped in a small piece of wax paper. Wonderful.


	2. Chapter 2

The warm sun poured down on the pair of them sitting on the bank of the river. Yuri held her pole loosely with her naked feet dangling in the water. Her father had actually fallen asleep after telling her stories he claimed to have made up, but she knew he had actually experienced himself. She pulled at a tug on her line and was rewarded a small fish. Her puppy lay in its basket a few feet away from her. It stumbled out the basket and barked at the slimy fish. Yuri picked her up and kissed her behind the ear. "Aye, Aya, it's just a fish." She laughed when the puppy scrambled from her grasp and went back to barking at the fish.

Four fish later, two of them larger than she'd ever seen, she put her things against a tree and lay in the grass with her puppy lying on her stomach. Her father stood several feet away cleaning their dinner. She stared at the blue sky adoringly. Aya nuzzled her chin gently, pulling her attention to her small white face. Her puppy was jealous of the sky? She smiled and rested a warm hand on the animal as she turned her attention back to the sky. Some of the most amazing ideas she had ever gotten had come to her while she was watching clouds float by. It was so relaxing. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the sweet scent…of freshly clean fish. She made a sound before drifting off into sleep.

A large hand shook her gently. Her father smiled down at her with Aya clasped in one hand. "Your puppy tried to run away. But she is too small and didn't get far."

Yuri yawned and stretched loudly. She reached for the puppy with drowsy eyes. "Hmm. Don't run away, Aya. Someone might find you and kill you." She snorted when she saw how round the puppy's eyes had gotten. Could she actually understand her? She gently dropped Aya into her basket and got her other things so they could head home.

She, her father, and Aya sat in the backyard listening to the fish grill. Her father stood and began running from one end of the yard to the other. Aya soon jumped up and followed at his heels. She barked happily each time she passed Yuri. Yuri jumped up and tried to climb on her father's back, but he evaded her easily. She laughed and chased him. The puppy managed to get a hold on her father's shirt. He stopped running and looked down at the animal with wide eyes. Yuri jumped on his back. The puppy let go and trotted ahead of them with her head held high. "Well done, Aya!" She wrapped her arms around her father's neck and laughed as he bounced her from one end of the yard to the other. Barking happily, the puppy continued to follow in their steps.

They ate in silence: Yuri dreaded leaving her father behind to go on another mission. She stared at Aya sitting in a chair at the table looking from one person to the other. Seriously, could that animal understand the tension in the house? She cleaned up the kitchen and kissed her father on the cheek as she went into her room with Aya at her heels. She pinned her hair up and climbed into bed after a shower and quick brush of her teeth. She made sure all her things were packed.

It was dawn when she woke. She slipped on her black tights and short green skirt with a fitting long sleeved black shirt. She put on her sandals and grabbed her bag. Her father sat on the couch gazing out the window. A strong feeling of love and appreciation for him came over her. She kissed him on the cheek and left out the back door. No doubt Tsunade or Shizune would be waiting on her with wide eyes. The hokage's mansion was nearly deserted, save fore dozens ANBU soldiers and overnight workers. She found Tsunade nursing a headache while Shizune read to her from a list of what appeared to be missions they had just received. The woman sat up suddenly when she saw Yuri in the doorway.

"Miss Onigatu. Your mission has changed slightly. The prince is still going to the land of ice, but he has to make a stop along to way to retrieve…his fiancé. I assigned you a partner…" Tsunade frowned. "Do you hear that?"

A small blush crept into Yuri's cheeks as she opened her bag to find a yelping Aya. "I apologize. I didn't know she would be in here. She usually sleeps in her basket."

"You don't have time to take her back. The prince and his lady must be at home in two days. Now, go!" Tsuande rolled her eyes when the puppy barked at her.

"Yes, hokage-sama." She lifted Aya from her bag and frowned with apprehension. Why was her pet suddenly becoming attached to her? It had barely been two days since she got her! But that was the whole point of her getting a pet, right? She wanted someone she could travel with. "Aya, I'm going to put you in the pocket on the side of my bag, be as quiet as possible." She laughed when the puppy barked happily.

The prince was shorter than Yuri's five feet and ten inches. She could not hide her embarrassment when the man looked at her as if she was some type of alien. She was relieved to see their teammate approaching. He was dressed in black pants, a black shirt, and a jounin vest. He was followed closely by what looked like a bear. Yuri chewed her tongue in horror as she realized it was actually a dog. A dog that big?! She nodded to the man with the wild brown hair, but couldn't help but stare at his dog. She turned away from him quickly when she heard Aya whimper in her bag.

"I'm Kiba." He told the prince in a hoarse voice. The prince, a man with black hair almost as long as Yuri's nodded and began to walk ahead of them. Kiba stepped closer to her with his nostrils slightly flared. She stared at him bewildered. "What's that smell?"

"My shirt." She rolled her eyes at him and caught up with the prince. She walked in front and Kiba in back with the prince talking about some things she didn't understand and hoped to never understand.

He had violet colored eyes that liked to steal glances at the woman when he thought she wasn't looking. She walked with a cat like grace and moved as if she was in fact related to the animal. The prince had an urge to ask her what exactly was so special about her that he could not stop thinking about it, but he decided against it. H was due to be married in a week. There was no way someone would know another woman had suddenly caught his eye, even if she was beautiful and imposingly taller than him.

It was later that night that they arrived in the land of iron. The woman set to marry the prince was short with a thick waist. Her long brown hair fell to her knees in ripples of curls. Yuri thought she was beautiful. She could tell by the look on Kiba's face that he thought the same. She reached into her bag to remove an agitated Aya. The puppy glowered at her for a second before lapping her face with wet kisses. Yuri laughed and put her down.

"That's what you were hiding?" Kiba asked from behind her.

"Yeh. She snuck in my bag and I didn't have time to take her back home." Yuri kneeled and held her hand out. The puppy ran to her. She nearly screamed when the dog that had been with Kiba leaped in front of her and growled. She raised her hand, but hesitated in hitting him. Her eyes darted to his master, who stood watching them with suspicious eyes. She grabbed the large animal by the waist and thrust him away. She snatched up Aya.

"You know, stealing puppies is an offense." Kiba said haughtily. Akamaru stood beside him with his teeth bared. "It's okay, Akamaru." The dog relaxed, but did not remove his eyes from the puppy in Yuri's arms.

She gently put Aya back into her bag and smirked at him maliciously. "I didn't steal the puppy. I bought it from a guy." She crossed her arms over her chest. The blueness of her eyes melted away suddenly until they were their natural color.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Kiba stood his ground as Akamaru began to growl.

She touched her face and gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry. My jutsu wore off." She lifted her hand and did several signs before pressing her hand over her eyes. "Better?"

"I suppose so." He said in an uncaring manner. Had he seen eyes like that before? He narrowed his eyes at her. "Keep your pup close. Akamaru hates the dog that sired her."

"Aww was he in a love triangle?" Yuri burst into laughter. Aya poked her head from the pocket on the bag and barked happily. "Quiet, Aya, we're still on a mission." The dog gave a soft bark before disappearing back into the bag.

They left three hours later once the prince had slept for a bit. The woman, Tumiko, walked slowly with her head held low. The way she walked infuriated Yuri, not just the pace but the demeaning manner. She stopped in front of them, causing the prince to walk straight into her.

"Why are you walking like that? Speed up! You have a wedding to get to. And hold your head up!" She frowned at the woman then stared at the prince. She grabbed Tumoiko and put her on her back. Her eyes darted to a stunned Kiba. "You carry him. We'll make it there by tomorrow night if we do it this way." She breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded in agreement.

They made it to the land of ice before the sun had set the following day. Each was clad in cloaks. The prince hugged his sisters and father tightly before introducing his fiancé. The entire ordeal made Yuri suspicious of everything she saw. But she wasn't there to do anything but deliver the prince and his strange bride. The prince welcomed them into his castle and even had them down to attend the wedding.

Yuri lay outside underneath a large cherry blossom tree with her wide eyes staring at the shining stars overhead. She shot up straight and rested her hand on a kunai in the pouch at her thigh. Her hand snatched up Aya as she flipped out of the way of a group of shuriken. She dived behind a tree and dropped the puppy into the front of her shirt. Whoever it was really needed to work on throwing their weapons. She smirked and peeped around the tree. A kunai lodged itself into the area beside her face. Gotcha. Two kunai and two shurikens shot from her hand. She flipped into the tree and rested her hand on her knees. The person cursed loudly. Kiba limped from behind a group of bushes.

"Damn, woman." He tore a shuriken from his leg and one from his side. He sat down and stared at the wounds with irritation.

"Maybe you shouldn't sneak up on innocent women." Yuri removed a yelping Aya from her shirt and rested the puppy on the ground.

"Innocent?! Is this a joke?" Kiba growled at her.

She rolled her eyes and stalked towards him with her hands in tight fists. Fighting an urge to beat him over the head until he was unconscious, she kneeled beside him and ran a cold finger over his puckered wound. Blue chakra illuminated the darkness as she healed his wound, pushing her chakra in it to fuse the skin close. She moved to the wound on his side. Aya barked happily at the light. She clumsily climbed up the back of Yuri's shirt, throwing her concentration off for a fraction of a second. She rested on her master's shoulder and watched with curious eyes as Yuri finished closing the wound. She couldn't help but smirk.

"You fight and you heal?"

She stood and dusted off her pants. "I'm supposed to kill and heal. It's what I was raised and trained to do." She nuzzled a barking Aya in the side.

"Uhh we have to go to the wedding together tomorrow. Under the continued façade that we are a loving pair."

"You just tried to kill me. If that isn't loving, I don't know what is." She held her hand out to him. When he didn't accept, she narrowed her bright blue eyes at him until he reached for her hand; she pulled him into a standing position. "I would never actually date you though. You can't throw kunais or shurikens for shit." She dodged a well-aimed punch from him. The ground cracked slightly when his fist slammed into it. Hmmm. Her laughter could be heard all the way back to the castle. She leapt into the tree to avoid another punch. His fist slammed into the tree and severed it in a clean half. Her eyes widened in surprise. She was pulled back to reality when Aya yelped as the tree fell to the side. She jumped from the tree and landed several feet away from him. Aya wiggled herself to the ground and ran towards the bushes barking. Yuri lifted her arm and was thrown back slightly by the impact of Kiba's foot. "Are you really trying to kill me?"

He growled, his eyes glowing a bright yellow color as he lunged for her. She flipped forward and grabbed his fist. What was that old trick her father had taught her again? She smiled at her aggressor as she released his arm and caught his leg. One. Two. Three. She let go of his leg and flung him towards the tree in the distance. She ducked and rolled behind the stump when she heard him or a clone rise from the bushes. He ran at her madly, almost foaming at the mouth. Wait, where the hell was Aya? She lifted her hand and cloned herself. This guy looked wild. Thank heavens she was as flexible as she was. She leaned back and flipped backwards so that her foot smashed into his face. He grabbed her leg and yanked her forward. Her other foot slammed into his face, but he wouldn't let go. Her clone jumped into the air and barraged the rabid Kiba with powerful kicks and punches.

She rolled away. She did a quick jutsu. "Rising mountains jutsu!" Her hand formed into a fist as a large piece of land jutted into the air from the ground. Kiba dodged this easily as he ran at her again. Her clone kicked him in the side of the head hard. Yuri stepped out of the way of a kunai, which strategically lodged itself in her clone's chest. The cloned disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Rabid Kiba crouched behind her on the tips of his toes and his claws. Kiba crouched down onto all fours, matching the clone of him. And she had thought he was just joking around with her. She pouted slightly. Aya was heard in the bushes barking loudly. She leapt into the air, stepping on the face of the rabid Kiba and diving into the bushes. She grabbed Aya and jumped out of the bushes just as the two Kibas ripped it to shreds. With Aya back in the front of her shirt, she landed softly and smiled at the pair of them glowering at her. "Honestly, it was a joke." She laughed and lifted her hands as if admitting defeat. Did he really want her to fight him?

"I don't take swings at my ego as jokes." He growled the sentence out.

"Well, I'm sorry. But stop attacking me before I fight back." She cursed when Aya jumped out the front of her shirt and ran at the rabid Kiba barking. Her stomach fell until she felt as if she would throw up. She ran forward with a deep frown on her face. Rabid Kiba lifted his hand, but the other Kiba slammed into him. Yuri gave him a strange expression as she picked up a fuming Aya. It was kind of cute. Kinda. She lifted the puppy in the air. "Aya, you are not made for fighting. Puppies must be quiet and invisible when their masters…" She gasped when the rabid Kiba turned into a very large and angry dog.

"She's kinda made for battle. Too bad you don't have any of our clan's blood in you. Looks like you two might almost be as good as us one day." Kiba smirked and walked back towards the castle.

Ego-trip much? She clutched Aya almost painfully as she retrieved as many weapons as she could. The puppy rested on her shoulder barking softly. Yuri sighed. If only she could understand exactly what her little friend was saying. She put the puppy on the ground so she could look closer in the trees for several kunai she was missing. Aya ran towards her with one of them in her mouth tightly. The puppy dropped it at her master's foot and disappeared again. When she returned she had the other kunai in her mouth. Yuri caught her when she leapt into her arms. "Smart girl, Aya. Smart girl. You get a treat when we get back."

Yuri stared at the bride and groom blankly. Was that some kind of joke? She had had to escort the groom into the room. The prince's father had escorted the bride in. Why the hell hadn't the bride's mother come then?! She tapped her foot gently as she stood next to him dressed in a pastel yellow kimono with matching heeled sandals. Her long black hair was piled on top of her head in dozens of curls. Her blue eyes stared daringly into Kiba's smirking face. She bared her teeth to him and turned her attention back to the droning priest. Never again would she allow herself to be tricked into something so tasteless and pointless. She wanted to scream and tear the building apart.

She had to dance with the prince first. Weird. She plastered a fake smile on her face the entire time. She ignored the different men approaching her and telling her how beautiful she looked. Of course she looked beautiful. She was the most exotic thing in the room with her blue eyes and brown skin. Her fake smile actually turned real when the most handsome man in the room approached the table she and Kiba occupied. His shiny green eyes sparkled as he bowed to her and offered her his hand. She blushed furiously as she allowed him to sweep her across the floor.

They moved at a fast pace, as if the man knew she was actually a ninja hired by their ruler. He twirled her at a speed she knew was faster than normal, but it did nothing but cause her heart to race. Gazing into her blue eyes with an emotion she couldn't place, he held her closely. She moved her feet quickly and smiled at him each time their hands met. People moved out of the way as they danced around them at a speed and skill that none of them could match. Yuri realized she was actually enjoying herself. She jumped into his arms when the song ended. Her eyes caught an annoyed Kiba gazing at her from the table. She gave a man a quick peck on the cheek and went back to her scowling partner.

"Honestly, dear, do you do anything aside from looking menacing?" She laughed at the look he gave her.

"I'll have you know that guy wanted more from you than a dance." He said with a smirk. "Naïve."

"That's fine, Kiba. It's not like I plan on actually giving him or any other man what they expect or want when they look at me." She slammed her hand down on the table lightly and forced a smile for him. "I'm ready to retire. Let's go."

"Wait. That girl over there has been watching me since we got here." He said as he cocked his chin towards a thin girl with short silver hair.

"She looks twelve, Kiba." She shook her head angrily as she stormed out of the room and up the stairs.

The room she and Kiba had been forced to share was a spacious one. He slept on the couch and she took the comfortable bed. She took the kimono off and slipped into more comfortable attire: another pair of spandex pants and a tight black shirt. She frowned when she realized Aya had not run out to her yet. She did a quick scan of the room and looked in the mirror so she could see underneath the bed. She leapt into the air and got a grip on the ceiling when she saw the man hiding underneath her bed. He rolled out with Aya clutched in his arm. His hand was closed over her mouth tightly. He threw the puppy away. Yuri's heart filled with dread when her pet slammed into the wall and fell limp to the ground.

She growled and dived for him, he evaded her initial attack, but she caught him in the back of the head with a strong kick. He flicked a kunai at her from underneath his coat as he fell to the ground. She flipped away and lowered herself until she was in a crouch almost. Her eyes darted to the immobile white body that belonged to Aya. She lunged for him again, assaulting him with kicks to his stomach and punches to his chest. Her hand did a quick jutsu and she slammed her flat palm against his chest. A large amount of blood shot from his mouth. He grabbed her and dug his gloved hand into her arm. She kicked him in the face and jumped onto the bed. Her head felt so heavy. She lifted her hands to do a jutsu to contain whatever it was he'd poisoned her with, but she knew it was too late. If she had done it when he'd first scratched her instead of flipping onto the bed. Damn. She fell into the mattress face first.

Her eyelids fluttered closed. Not because she couldn't see or because her body was going numb, but because she could feel her jutsu she used to hide her eye color fading. He slapped her hard on the face and then ran his hand over her toned thighs. He pressed a sloppy kiss against her lips and bit at her neck hungrily. Yuri prayed he would be done soon so he could just leave. She would hate for Kiba to walk in while they were doing this. Kiba! She groaned and tried to move any part of her body she could. The poison had obviously been one that attacks chakra. Smart man. She heard and felt him standing in front of her. He unzipped his pants and opened her mouth widely. Of course her mouth was wet as a sponge. He slapped her again until she opened her eyes. He stared at her for a moment. A realization, almost like a horror, settled into his eyes. He looked around the room and lifted a kunai he held in his hand.

Akamaru rushed him. The man slammed into the wall with such force that several chunks of brick fell to the ground. Akamaru bit down into the man's side angrily and threw him to the other side of the room. Where the hell had he been hiding all that time? She smiled inwardly as the man finally came around. He looked at her again and tried to get away. Was it her eyes? Why did people always fear her eyes? He jumped out the window. Akamaru perched himself over the ledge barking loudly. He ran to the bed and licked Yuri across the face. Big change from earlier. He trotted over to where Aya lay on the floor. He nudged her several times until he got a weak whimper from the puppy. Yuri's heart leapt with joy. She made another sound in the back of her throat to get Akamaru's attention. The big dog strutted over to her showing off his superiority because he had actually managed to scare the foe away. She would have laughed if her body was capable of moving. After another pointless sound from Yuri, Akamaru went to the door and began to bark loudly. She closed her eyes and began to meditate. That was the best thing she could do until someone arrived.

The door was flung open so hard she was sure it was torn from its hinges. Kiba saw her sprawled out on the bed and probably assumed she was asleep until Akamaru began to bark at him. He leaned forward and stared Yuri in the eyes. "Akamaru says you are alive, but he doesn't know what's wrong with you. I sent one of the servants for a medic. I'm going to look at Aya." He pat her on the shoulder and went to a panting Akamaru. The bigger dog nudged the puppy again, eliciting a loud whimper. Kiba stroked the dog's soft fur and turned to find Yuri's cold eyes on him. "She's fine, just a few broken bones, but she's so small. I'm going to try and heal her if the medic-nin can't. Is that fine?"

Yuri blinked several times and closed her eyes again. The point of her meditating was to slow her heartbeat. Her heart was quickly pumping the poison into her blood. She was more than sure she would be okay in a few days. Her eyes fluttered open. Kiba stared down at her with a look of concern. "Uhhh."

"I told you that guy was bad business. I can't believe you let him take you!" He smirked and walked over to his dog that appeared to be smiling from their conversation. "Good thing Akamaru stayed here instead of you kicking him out." He growled when Yuri rolled her eyes.

A man in long red robes strolled towards her with a large bowl of clear liquid. "We already knew what it was when your friend called for us. This has been happening for weeks now. We couldn't save the first two victims, but we finally perfected the antidote." He ran his chakra-laced hands from her head down the length of her body. He lifted her arm and pressed it against his mouth tightly. Yuri's eyes widened in pain. Kiba moved forward, but he could tell from the sound she made that she was fine. The medic spit green substance into the bowl where it turned pure and blue. A small woman wearing large white gloves stepped forward. She lifted the chakra from the bowl so delicately it looked as if she feared she might break it. She pushed it down Yuri's throat slowly.

It was almost daytime when the two medics were done. Yuri was moved further up the bed and covered with a quilt. The medic had given her something to put her to sleep. She dreamed about running through large fields with her father chasing her. The wind blew threw her long black hair. He was close enough to her so that it brushed his thighs. She rolled herself into a ball and sped forward. He told her that was cheating. She jumped up suddenly and turned to him with a large smile. A shinobi never cheats. A shinobi uses what gifts he or she has to win. That is not cheating. She stuck her tongue out at him and ran when he grabbed for her again.

"Do you know what kind of poison it was? The medic nins wouldn't say." Kiba lay on the couch staring at her.

"It was a chakra draining poison. I didn't want to seriously wound him in case he was part of the royal family. He resembled them so." She turned her head. "A mistake Papa told me to never make."

"You've been asleep for almost two days. I sent the hokage a message about what happened. If you are stronger, we can go." Kiba said slowly.

She sat up and nodded to him eagerly. "That would be for the better. I fear I would kill the man if I see him again." She slid from the bed and began to stretch: first her toes, feet, legs and pelvic region. Her eyes stared questioning into Kiba's as she began to stretch her abdominal muscles then all the muscles above it. She shook her head until the curls on her head fell loose and cascaded over her shoulders and back. Done. She went into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Kiba was gone when she came out with the towel wrapped around her. She threw the towel away and dressed quickly. This time in dark blue spandex pants and a matching spandex shirt. She combed her hair straight and put it up in a tight ponytail. Ready. She grabbed her bag and opened the door. Kiba stood there smiling with Akamaru at his side and Aya cradled in his arms. Yuri's eyes widened with delight as she pulled her trembling pet into her own arms. She kissed Akamaru on the head and gave Kiba a kiss on the cheek. She walked past them down the stairs where the prince and his new wife stood waiting for them.

"I am glad to have had you here for this time. Thank you." He hugged her tightly. She bowed politely to the new princess. The prince gave her a shiny red box as a gift. She laughed nervously as she took it. Kiba put it in his bag.

They walked slowly because Yuri did not want to cause Aya any pain. No matter how much Kiba insisted the dog was too deep in sleep to feel anything, she insisted they walk slowly. She made a sling across her chest and rested her puppy there so she could walk quicker. Kiba's mood lightened when he noticed their pace had picked up. Yuri hummed different songs as a source of comfort for Aya. She began to hum louder when Akamaru trotted over to her. Her hand dug into the thick fur on her head so that she scratched him behind his ear.

The land looked the same. Well the forests in the land did, anyway. Yuri pulled off her makeshift sling containing Aya and laid it down beside a tree. She sat in the dark staring at the sky. Kiba lay on his staring at the same starless sky with Akamaru's head resting on his broad chest. She gazed at them with admiration for the relationship they had. Hopefully, she and Aya would have a relationship similar if not better than theirs. She stood and waved to Kiba that she was going for water. The only response he gave when he looked at her was a raised eyebrow. She went into the forest with her hand resting at her side she stopped behind a tree suddenly. Did she hear voices? After a few seconds, she moved forward with an unmatched quickness.

The river was actually to the side of the forest. It trailed down in a small waterfall from a tall cliff. She squatted and dipped her water bottle into the spring. Her eyes, which she did not cast down, spotted several figures in the trees. She slipped her full water bottle into a pouch hanging at her hip. She stood and pressed her fists against her waist. "I see you." Her heart sped with excitement as she leapt into the tree and moved from branch to branch following them. She extracted several shurikens from her pocket and flicked them forward; the man dodged them, but he did not see the one she'd thrown ahead. Great deliberating by her. She chuckled when the piece of metal struck the man in the back. She flipped from the tree with her leg extended. It slammed down on the man's shoulder. Her other foot pressed into his back where the shuriken was lodged. She pushed it in further and twisted her foot angrily. She kicked him in the head and landed neatly in a crouched position. Slam. She flipped out of the way of a hard punch.

Much to her surprise, her attackers turned out to be only two people. One crawled in pain behind her and the other stood in front of her with a large smile. She raised an eyebrow and let out a whistle so loud in pitch that the man did not hear it. The man stepped into the light from the moon and smiled at her maliciously. He stared her straight in the eyes and lifted his hand, which was clad in a type of thin metal glove with sharp claws. "I hoped you would die the last time we met. I won't let you live this time, Orochimaru."

"What?" She backed away from him and dodged his attacks swiftly. Her foot slammed into his face. She kneed him in the stomach and ducked just as his metal glove swung at her head.

"Don't play that innocent tone with me. I saw your eyes when you were on the bed. I see them now. You evil snake." The man attacked her relentlessly. She dodged him smoothly until she was backed up against a tree. "Time for me to right your killing my father's sister."

She hated killing people that she did not understand. She forced as much chakra into the palms of her hands as she could. She dodged his attacked and slammed her palms into his chest quickly. She counted six quick, hard hits. Then, she formed her right palm into a fist and slammed it into his chin with a scream. She saw the expression on his face as he flew away from her. She lowered her fist and looked at the man staring at them with wide eyes. She took a knife from her pouch and slit his throat. She did a quick fire jutsu and burned the man's body. For some strange reason, she enjoyed watching her attackers suffer. She rested a hand on her hip as the man who'd tried to rape her lay on his back choking on his own blood. A small smile stretched her pink lips. She flipped her hair, which had broken free of its ribbon, over her shoulder. Her eyes shined in the moonlight as she lifted her head and sneered down at him.

"I knew it was you. Bastard." The man choked out.

Aha! Just who is Yuri?!


	3. Chapter 3

Kiba stood silently in the hokage's office. He shot glances Yuri's way each time she moved. He took a deep breath, about to tell the hokage what the man had said, but what proof did he have? Besides, she had done that stupid jutsu to change her eyes back blue the day after he had watched her kill those two men. He had seen men die before, but he had never seen the person doing the killing look so evil and happy about doing so. He averted his eyes when she looked at him with a smile.

"As always, I'm happy to see you return, Yuri. You have your report already written and you are in perfect health. Your animal will be fine in a few more days. Anything else?"

Kiba was about to speak, but Yuri broke in before him. "Yes, the man that attacked me called me Orochimaru. Who is he? Why did he call me that?" Yuri stared at the hokage with innocence and curiosity in her eyes.

The man beside her made a sound. "Are you sure you're not him? I saw you when you killed those two men. How were you able to kill him just by hitting him a few times?" Kiba turned to her angrily.

"Well, I think you should ask your father about Orochimaru. And, Mr. Inuzuka, she's able to kill men with a few hits because her father is a skilled medic nin. She obviously picked up some of his skills." The hokage flipped through the pages. She laughed. "Doesn't that make you glad she didn't take you seriously when you attacked her?" She looked at Yuri. "That's all. Thank you. If I need you for anything, I will send word."

Yuri gave Kiba a sideways glance that was edged with anger. She left the room quickly and speed walked through the halls. How dare he call her evil! He apparently didn't know how mad he looked when he used that fusion jutsu of his. She scratched her head gently as she thought about the long bath waiting her when she got home. Her father no doubt was making her favorite dish.

Her house looked so welcoming she ran into the house, forgetting her father was also a trained shinobi. She yelped when a kunai brushed her arm. "Papa! It's me, Yuri!"

"I doubt it. I haven't been able to hit Yuri with a kunai that easily since she was nine. Where is your mother?" She could tell he had moved from his place on the couch to a secure area in the doorway.

"Mother is in the land of sound resting peacefully." Yuri said softly.

"Come out then." He said reluctantly.

Yuri stood and jumped over the couch so that she could feel his arms around her. She knew she was real and whole and no one could hurt her when she was in those arms. Tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her face. Tightening the hug, she buried her face in his chest. His tense body relaxed when he realized that his little girl was actually crying. He was filled with anger suddenly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She felt so fragile underneath him. Or was he thinking that just because she was crying in his arms. He lifted her chin with his index finger. "What's wrong with you, Raven?" She held back a sob as she looked up into his eyes. He kissed her on the forehead. "Tell me, Snake Eyes."

She accepted a cold cup of tea from him and sat on the couch with it clutched tightly in her hands. There was no way she was telling her father that she was crying because her partner had treated her like shit and some guy had called her somebody she didn't know. She felt as if her life, the life she had built herself, was not worth as much as she had thought. "There's this guy…"

"I will kill him for you." He stood with a glare in his eyes and went towards his room.

"No, Papa!" She smiled at him and motioned for him to come back to the couch. "I was starting to think he was really nice and all, but he saw me kill two guys."

Realization settled in her father's eyes. He reached for her hand and squeezed tightly to remind her that he was there. "Well, explain."

She gulped down her tea and sat the cup on the table. With a deep breath, she explained what happened to them on the mission. She could tell from the way the muscle in her father's neck moved that he was upset. "And well, uhhh he tried to make me look really bad and evil in front of the hokage." She rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly.

"I will talk to this Kiba Inuzuka character. Don't worry about the other stuff. Just a simple case of mistaken identity." He kissed her on the side of her forehead. "Go rest now."

She slept for a day and a half before deciding it was time to get up and go out. Her feet felt heavy and her head as light as a feather when she bounced from her bed into the bathroom. She took another long hot bath and dressed in knee length khaki pants and a long sleeved yellow cotton shirt. She slipped into her tan colored sandals before leaving the room. Her long black hair was wet and hung limply against her brightly colored shirt. She waved to her father sitting in the kitchen. He raised his raised his cup to her and turned his attention back to the scroll in his hand.

Yuri clasped her hands behind her back as she walked down the street. People glanced at her, but most of them avoided her gaze. She had decided to walk around with her natural eye color displayed. Would someone else call her that unfamiliar name that man had mentioned days before? Sadly, no one did. She went into the infirmary with her lips pressed together in hopes that Aya would be well enough to go home. To her satisfaction, her puppy ran down the hall and jumped into her arms.

A red faced Shizune laughed as she followed in the puppy's path. "She's been giving the veterinarian here a hard time. I…" The smile on Shizune's face vanished for a moment. She forced a smile and turned away from Yuri with a strained expression. "Does the hokage know your eyes are like that?"

"Yes." Yuri nuzzled noses with Aya. The puppy barked happily and jumped over her shoulder. She smiled widely at Shizune. "Umm thanks, Shizune-san. And I'll be at Kagero's tonight. Come and join me!" She waved to her friend before turning and running towards the sounds of her barking puppy.

Aya barked excitedly in front of a very tall looking Akamaru. The larger dog barked when he saw Yuri approaching. Aya turned to her master and barked before jumping back into the girl's arms. She shook the dog gently and held her in the air as she nuzzled nose with Akamaru. He had a wet nose, but she didn't offend him by wiping away the wetness. Instead, she leaned Aya forward and let the two rub noses. The puppy barked and clung to Yuri's arm as if she was suddenly embarrassed. Clutching the puppy to gain some control, Yuri leaned towards Akamaru with a smile. "Tell your master I said hello!" She scratched his head roughly. Yuri barked over her shoulder as she walked away.

Her life felt very different when she had Aya in it. Just the day before she had not felt like moving, but that day she felt as if she had enough chakra to complete a dozen missions. She and her puppy ran through the forest several times. She came across a brooding Sasuke at some point. He sat with his back against a tree and his arms crossed over his chest as he stared off into space. She stood watching him silently with Aya at her side panting. The dog had finally learned how to act. She debated speaking to him, but found she did not know him well enough to mutter a word to him.

"Yuri?" A familiar voice called out.

She turned to find her second teammate walking towards her. He was tall, lean, and smiling broadly. His hazel eyes danced as he pulled her into a tight hug. He was a true ANBU member; she rarely saw him. His hair, which he always said he was cursed with because it was blue, was cut in a short style. He stood back and stared at her eyes for a few moments. He looked at a tree behind her and smiled. "It is wonderful to see you in nice health. I see you've ignored our senpai's orders and decided to wear your regular eye color."

"I've been getting some strange reactions." She ran her fingers through her air-dried hair.

"Well, Yuri, those eyes aren't common and the last guy that had eyes like that…let's just say he wasn't nice." He looked at her adoringly. "You're as sweet as pie though."

"Jubei, I didn't know you cared for my feelings so. Although, I'm beginning to get offended by your averted eyes." She picked up a barking Aya. "This is my friend Aya."

Jubei took Aya's paw and shook it gently, which sent the puppy into a frenzy of excited barks. She all but jumped into his arms when he reached for her. He laughed and scratched underneath her chin. "You know, the last puppy I saw that looked similar to this one is large enough to crush several people at once. You should go see the Inuzuka farm. You will be amazed." He bounced the puppy a few times before handing her back to her master. A strange feeling came over him when he finally got the courage to look her in he eyes again. This was his friend for almost ten years. He frowned slightly at the thought; she actually was his teammate for three years before she disappeared behind her ANBU mask, but still. He had dated Luna for a few months several years back, but it was only because he wanted to get her off her Sasuke trip. Boy, had that been a failure. He sighed. It was so human of him to want things he would never have.

"Something wrong?" Yuri smiled at him widely, revealing even white teeth.

Was she still as insecure now as she was back then? He slid an arm around her shoulder and stepped closer to her. "I have a deal. You come out with me tonight and I will tell you all about my last mission."

Yuri rolled her eyes. "Both of us know that is against code."

"Fine, my next mission. You have to accept tonight because I leave tomorrow morning." He smiled at her. When she said yes, he could have jumped off the tallest house in Konoha. "I'll be over at seven. You won't regret it."

She nodded and walked away from him before he could see the large smile fighting to disturb the stoic expression she wore. Aya watched Jubei with wide eyes over Yuri's shoulder. She turned to her master and barked several times. Yuri scratched Aya's head and laughed. Was her puppy trying to tell her something she already knew?

They walked around the village until the sun began to set. Yuri lay on top of some unnamed person's roof staring at the clouds. Maybe she should get out and train more the following day. Aya lay fast asleep on her chest with soft growls coming deep from within her small frame. It had been a fairly decent day. Although, nothing had happened the way she hoped. She slid her arm underneath her head and cast her eyes back to the sky. She felt a presence approaching. Her hand slid down to the pocket on her pants. She grasped a kunai tightly in her fist.

"Who are you?" A slightly bored sounding male asked. He had an annoyed expression on his face. Aya awoke with a start and barked loudly. The man squinted at the dog and frowned. "Akamaru?"

Yuri stood and clutched Aya against her chest protectively. "I'm Yuri Onigatu. This is Aya."

"Oh. This house has the best view of the setting sun." He said in a matter of fact tone.

"I noticed. Want to join me?" She sat down again with Aya quiet in her lap, but her large dark brown eyes on the intruding male. He scratched his head before sitting several feet away from her. He lay back with his arms crossed behind his head. Yuri liked his spiky ponytail. She ignored the fact that he had blatantly ignored her. When the sun had finally disappeared over the horizon, she turned to him with a smile, but found that he was fast asleep. Aya looked from Yuri to the sleeping man then jumped out of Yuri's lap barking as she charged him. She snatched the puppy from the air just as it leapt towards the man face. He awoke with a start. Yuri laughed. "Sorry?"

"Troublesome." He stood and walked away from them. "If you want this place, you're going to have to fight me for it or leave that Akamaru wanna-be at home."

"Aya doesn't want to be Akamaru. She's a girl!" Yuri debated throwing the dog at him, but decided against it. He was probably just pretending to be lazy. She jumped from the roof and trudged towards her home. What was wrong with some guys? Were all the men in Konoha so…her brain stopped there because she didn't want to think the only word she could find. They were frustrating! She slammed the door as she barged in the house. Aya jumped on her father's head so that she could read the newspaper with him.

She took a quick shower and stood in her room flipping through the clothes in her closet. Should she wear something professional or something casual? Wait. Was she actually going out on a date with her former teammate? She leaned against the doorframe in her closet and whistled. How was that for a turn of events in her life? She spotted a dark green silk dress she had bought months earlier. It looked nice enough. She threw the dress on the bed and sat down in front of the mirror to do her hair. Right. She brushed it up into a high ponytail and put a yellow ribbon on it so that it looked like a loose bun. After rubbing jasmine scented oil on her pulse points, she walked towards her dress. She slid it on slowly so she could relish the way the material felt against her skin. She gave herself a look of approval in the wall mirror and slipped on her heeled black sandals just as there was a loud knock at the door. She grabbed her cloak before closing the door to her room.

Aya ran behind her. "No, Aya, stay with Papa. Pa! I'll be home in a bit!" She yelled to him. He waved his hand.

Jubei stood dressed in neat black pants and a blue shirt. Maybe she should have worn that yellow dress after all. He stared at her shamelessly. The thin strapped, mid thigh dress she wore clung to her curvaceous frame perfectly. If only he could turn himself into that silk. He reached for her hand and forced a smile when he noticed that she was waiting for him. They walked towards the lights silently.

"You should tell me about your mission now. People will hear in the bar."

"I'm going to the land of ice to assassinate someone. Won't know who until tomorrow." His eyes darted quickly from dwelling to dwelling. Yuri sighed: he never did relax or turn his ninja sensors off. He looked at her. "Sure you want to keep those eyes when we go in?"

Yuri shrugged. "If they don't disturb you, then I'd rather save the chakra for the intense training I have planned for myself and Aya tomorrow." She laughed.

She wasn't surprised to find the place almost deserted. It was too early in the night for people their age to be there. They sat down at a table in the back of the place and ordered two cups of sake. Yuri just stared at her drink while Jubei gulped his down in one go. She chewed on her lower lip gently to hide a smile. "So, what has life done for you?"

He stared at the ceiling in deep thought for several moments. "Life has given me one severed arm, having to learn how to walk again twice, more deaths than I can remember, and a lonely house."

"And you're still alive." Yuri said with a hint of optimism and sarcasm.

"Barely." He watched a large group of people their age enter. "I never understood why no one wanted to date that Ino woman. She's pretty enough."

She raised her eyebrows and turned her attention to the blonde at the bar laughing loudly with her arm draped across an irritated looking Naruto. "I think they say she is too loud."

"Plus she looks like she has more muscle than I do. Keep your curves, Yuri." He sipped his drink. "You going to drink that?" He drank her cup of sake thirstily when she shook her head no.

"I'll get the next drinks. Sake again?" She smiled at him when he nodded and stared at a passing female shinobi dressed in a mini skirt and red tank top. Thank whatever deity existed that she had no romantic feelings towards him whatsoever. She leaned against the bar with a small frown and stared at the different color liquors the tender had.

"This is going to sound weird, but I swear I've seen those legs before."

Yuri looked over her shoulder to find a smiling Kakashi staring at her legs. She hugged him tightly and sat down on one of the stools. Her hand smacked the stool next to her so he would sit. He sat down and narrowed his one eye at her. She laughed. "How have you been, Kakashi?" She had not seen him in years.

"Great. Are you trying something new with your eyes?" He lifted his headband covering his Sharigan. His eyes widened in surprise. "That's your natural eye color."

Yuri nodded and ordered her drinks. "Ahh you knew my eyes weren't blue, but you didn't know which color they were. Cute."

Kakashi glanced at someone over Yuri's shoulder before lowering his headband and looking directly into her eyes. "I saw your old man."

She laughed. "Papa is as in good shape as I am if not better. He's only ten years older than you."

"Are you here with Jubei?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

Yuri glanced at him over her shoulder. He was on the floor dancing provocatively with the mini skirt woman. "We were catching up." She scratched her elbow and looked at the ground with a small frown.

"Did you know his fiancé died? She was ANBU." Kakashi looked at her with an eye that rarely held any emotion. He picked up her cup of sake. "Since when do you drink sake?"

"That was Jubei's." She rested her chin on her fists and stared at him adoringly. "So, are you interested in dancing with me?"

"Yuri, you know as well as anyone that I don't dance." Kakashi smiled at her underneath his mask, his eye crinkled.

She nodded and ordered a drink for him. "It's on me. For dinner at your place tomorrow night."

He pretended to debate the question mentally. "I guess."

She slid him the drink and looked down at the floor as she broke into a small smile. She had a plan. The cup was empty when she looked up. "Like I haven't seen your face!" She rolled her eyes.

"I've never seen this much of your skin. I must admit, you are a more beautiful woman than I expected, Yuri." He rubbed the back of his head as he smiled again.

"Kakashi. You keep flirting with me and--"

"Aye! Kaka-sensei! Who's the lady?" A loud voice asked. Yuri was irritated someone had interrupted her during a sentence. She turned to the loud person to find that it was Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke Uchiha stood beside him with a bored expression. Standing behind them was Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. The large smile on Naruto's face faltered when he looked at the woman in question. "What are you doing here?!"

Kakashi jumped between Yuri and the group of men when the two in front brandished kunais. He held a hand out towards Naruto. "Why such hostility towards the lady?"

"She looks like--"

"That's not him." Kiba said solemnly. He forced a smile when she waved at him as if they were old friends. "Hello, Yuri."

"Well, she sure has eyes like --"

Kakashi cut Naruto's sentence off when he exclaimed, "There's Sakura with Lee! Why don't you go say hello to your teammate?"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and dragged him away with an even more bored expression than when he had arrived. Shino hesitated, but he followed them as well. Kiba remained standing in front of Kakashi with a stupid expression. He relaxed when the copy ninja got back on his stool. He stared at Yuri before opening his mouth to speak, "How is Aya?"

"Good. I took her home today. She's even more hyper than she was before. You should come by and see her some time. Oh, why don't you bring Akamaru to the forest tomorrow? Aya and I will be training there."

"Ahh. If I am not busy I will try and stop by. Nice seeing you." He waved to her before turning and walking away quickly.

Yuri forced a smile and turned back to a slightly amused Kakashi. She punched him in the arm and burst into laughter at the expression he wore. She laughed when Jubei stumbled towards her with his arm draped around Mini Skirt's shoulder. She handed her old friend a drink and smiled at the girl. "Why don't you take him home when he finishes his drink?"

The girl nodded and looked at Jubei with a sense of pride. "I will do so!" They disappeared in the crowd.

Well, if the person she had arrived with was leaving, shouldn't she be leaving as well? Her nose itched terribly. She scratched the corner of it as she debated the answers to the question. Whatever. She slid from her seat, causing her dress to rise. Luckily for her, Kakashi's hand stopped the material from moving up further. She offered him a smile of thanks.

"You're leaving?" He almost sounded disappointed.

"I uhh…no one wants me here." She nodded when he didn't argue.

"Well, I don't want you here in such a crowded place alone. People may start thinking like Naruto and try to attack you. How about we go for a walk?"

She held her hand out to him and smiled when he took it into his own calloused one. He walked ahead of her, pulling her along through the thick crowd and smoke. She glimpsed Kiba watching the two of them from the corner where he and Shino and Choji sat. She turned her head and allowed her attention to be on the silver haired man in front of her. She took a deep breath when they finally stood outside. Kakashi laughed and walked beside her with his hands behind his back. Some part of her was waiting on him to whip out a book with a bright cover, but he didn't. He walked with her silently staring at the different places they passed. Yuri covered her mouth with her right hand and stared at him out the corner of her eyes. He raised his eyebrow.

"Remember when you first found out I was wearing a mask? You had barged into the hokage's window with urgent information. I stood there as a thirteen year old wearing my little outfit with my hair flying every way. You stared at me until the hokage yelled at you. I ended up being the one kicked out when you told her a brief summation of what you actually had to say."

"You were beautiful then." He nudged her in the side with his elbow when her cheeks turned red. He took her hand and stared at it. Surprisingly, it was soft and smooth. How many female shinobi did he know with hands as soft and smooth as those? Very few. "Jutsu?"

"Nah. I developed a liquid I use every night that keeps my skin smooth and soft." She nodded at him. She opened his hand and brushed her thumb over the calluses there. "I can make some for you. If you want."

He laughed. "No. I think I'm supposed to have rough hands."

Yuri stopped walking in front of a very large tree so that she leaned her back against it and crossed her arms over her chest. She stared at him, daring him to approach her. When he didn't she felt a slight disappointment. She relaxed and stood straight. She was surprised when calloused hands brushed her arms and stopped at her shoulders. She smiled at him over her shoulder. "And why, dear Kakashi, have you waited this long to touch me? I thought you would ravish me in the bar."

"I've never ravished you. And I waited this long to touch you because I wasn't sure if you really were who you said."

She exhaled loudly. "And now?"

His lips crushed hers. His tongue slipped into her mouth to brush her wet tongue. He gripped her shoulders tightly as he deepened the kiss. His tongue explored her mouth slowly, trying to remember how it felt to be inside her mouth. "You're better at this."

Her breath finally returned enough for her to give a hoarse reply. "No practice." Her lips claimed his again. "You're the only man I've ever kissed." And hopefully he'd be the first man she slept with, if all went accordingly. She reached up and dug her fingers into his hair as his hand rested on her flat stomach. Slowly, his hand moved lower until she felt his finger brush her thigh. She laughed. "You know I'm ticklish." She kissed him again and ran ahead of him. "Come on. Papa would do well to see you!"

They made it to her house faster than either of them would have liked. Yuri liked being chased by Kakashi; he liked chasing her. Though, neither of them would openly admit it. For one thing, Yuri was worried people would think he was too old for her. She was eighteen and he was thirty-one. She smiled at him as she pushed the door open. Her father sat up suddenly with a dagger in hand. He had been asleep.

"Papa, I brought Kakashi over to see you! I ran into him while I was out." She gave her father a tight hug before running into the kitchen for drinks. The men were deep in conversation when she returned with two cups filled with tea. She sat the tray on the table and kissed her father on the cheek, sneaking a quick glance at Kakashi. "Good night, you two. Don't stay up too long." She waved three fingers at them with a smile and went into her room. She fell back onto the bed with a large smile on her face.

What woman doesn't fantasize about Kakashi?


	4. Chapter 4

Aya collapsed on the ground with a soft whimper in front of a brooding Yuri. The puppy gave her master a weak bark before curling up into a little ball and going to sleep. Yuri laughed and pulled her sweaty black hair up into a ponytail. Their training session was almost over. It was several hours after midday and neither she nor Aya had eaten since daybreak. She sat down beside the puppy and stroked her thick fur gently. It had been a wonderful time. She ran over five miles, did more pushups than she would like to remember, perfected a jutsu she had been working on for years, and taught Aya how to roll over and play dead. The puppy had even succeeded in learning how to follow directions perfectly.

Yuri lifted the puppy gently and dropped her in the large brown basket she had brought along. Somehow she knew the puppy would be too tired to walk home. She hummed softly as she walked back towards civilization. She waved at a woman staring at her from her front door. The woman narrowed her eyes at her then ducked inside her house. Yuri knew she was covered in sweat, but didn't her black outfit hide most of it? It must have been her hair. She was starving. Hopefully, her father was back from his visit with the hokage. She dug around in her basket for spare change and didn't notice the large dog approaching her. She flinched when he bumped into her, nudging her in the abdomen. Her fingers dug into his fur so that she could stop herself from falling. The basket, which she gripped in her left arm, wobbled slightly. After gaining control of her posture, she sat the basket down and began to rummage through the blankets in it. Akamaru stuck his big nose in the basket sniffing Aya. His pink tongue darted out his mouth and flicked across Aya's wet fur. Yuri made a clicking sound with her tongue and gently pushed him away. She found nothing at the bottom of the basket. She looked around for Kiba, but saw him nowhere in sight. She ruffled Akamaru's fur and grabbed her basket so she could continue on her way.

After a long shower, she was dressed in knee length black pants and a short sleeved yellow shirt. Her father had not returned from his meeting with the hokage. She was in the mood for ramen. After grabbing her money purse and checking on Aya again, she locked the door and set out on another journey. She didn't know which place had the best ramen. She wasn't used to eating out unless it was inside someone else's house or apartment. She stopped at a bakery and ogled the pastries in the shiny glass for a few minutes. She ended up buying a pie filled with blueberry jelly. Sucking the jelly from her fingers each time she tore a section off, she ate it slowly.

She stopped in front of another shop, but this time it was a shop selling different types of iced drinks. The owner of the shop smiled at her and asked her if she needed any type of help. She studied the long list of possible drink combinations. With a definitive nod she ordered a tall cup of vanilla flavored ice. She wondered if Aya would enjoy some of the drink as she sucked at the cold juice. Were dogs even allowed to eat or drink things regular people did? Her father thought so. She gasped when she turned onto a road on the right. Half a dozen ramen shops were scattered amongst barbers, clothing shops, and a flower shop. Yuri walked down the street slowly, noting the amount of people in each ramen shop. One was almost completely deserted, save a group of men sitting in the corner. That is the shop she chose to eat at.

The owner was a man with black hair and a white hat on top of it. His round belly protruded over the counter as he leaned forward to look her square in the eyes. He hesitated a moment. "What do you want here?"

She looked over her shoulder to see if someone else was behind her. What reason would he have to be hostile towards her? To her utter surprise, not really, she found no one standing behind her. She forced a smile. "Uhhh may I have a large bowl of your best ramen. Please, sir."

The hostile look on his face receded for an instant. He rolled his eyes and disappeared behind the counter again. What a basket! Yuri sat down at the counter and wondered why she had even bothered leaving the house to get ramen. She tapped a neatly clipped index fingernail on the counter. Hopefully the guy would finish cooking her food before nighttime. She turned towards the door and sniggered at her own joke. His hand slammed on the counter behind her, stopping her laughter. Come on. She scratched her head and handed him her money as he placed her bowl in front of her. He glowered at her as he disappeared again. Yeesh. What crawled up his pants?

The ramen was not the best she had ever had. It was good, yes, but her father's was without a doubt better. She ate half of the contents and left the man a small tip as she slipped from the shop. She strolled to the ramen shop across the street and plopped down in an empty booth. A girl with curly brown hair took her order on a thick pad of white pieces of paper. Yuri stared out the window with a bored expression. She rested her chin on her fist and gasped when her eyes met a familiar pair. He had been in the first ramen shop the entire time she had suffered there? And he hadn't bothered to speak to her? Fine. If he didn't want to be her friend, she would stop making the effort to become his friend then. No matter how adorable his dog was. She growled and kicked the seat across from her.

"Hey, hey! What did this booth do to you?" Shizune sat down across from her. She smiled at Yuri and looked into the girl's eyes as long as she could stomach it.

"Nah. Stupid guy." She turned her head quickly when the aforementioned stupid guy looked directly in her face. She lowered her head so that her hair hid her face. Hopefully he hadn't seen her glaring daggers at him.

"Is it okay if I take my order here?" Shizune asked. She looked out the window with a small frown.

"Sure! I'm glad to have company." The pale woman smiling at her just couldn't understand how true the statement was. Yuri felt a sudden sadness in her heart when she, herself, realized how much weight and truth those words held. Her gaze fell from the table to her hands. She bit back her tears and turned towards the window. At least Shizune would not be able to see the sadness on her face. She blushed when Kakashi appeared in the window.

"What is it, Yuri?" Shizune looked out the window, but saw no one.

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief as the weight on her heart receded. She happily ate her soup and bread when the waitress delivered her food. She talked to Shizune quietly about Aya and their training. Shizune paid apt attention, but found it hard to stare into Yuri's eyes for too long. She had met the man whose eyes those copied. He had wanted to destroy everything he had known. He wanted to be the most successful shinobi to ever exist. In some right he was. He trained hundreds of shinobis. He knew every jutsu in existence. He would have been praised as a god if he hadn't been so evil. And sitting across from her was a girl the exact opposite of him in some ways. Yet, she was cursed to have eyes similar to his. Eyes exactly like his. Shizune blinked. She would remember those eyes forever.

"Shizune? Did you hear me? I said I was thinking about making tonight with Kakashi special." Yuri frowned as Shizune nodded, but didn't answer her question. She swirled the noodles and vegetables in her bowl. She lifted the chopsticks to her mouth, but couldn't force herself to stomach it. She slid from the booth.

"You're not done. Why are you leaving?" Shizune asked with concern.

"I'm tired. I think I'm going to go take a nap." Yuri forced a smile and walked away before Shizune could say anything else. Why did she allow things people did to affect her in such a way? She ground her teeth together until she thought they might break. First that damned Kiba was avoiding her then Shizune made her feel as if she didn't exist. She stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at the people passing by. They looked at her fearfully, but not because of her eyes. It was a crowded day and everyone shopping knew not to stop the lines. She muffled a scream and stomped home.

Her father still had not returned from his visit with the hokage. Yuri got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that her father had actually been called away on a mission while she was out training. Aya was still asleep in her basket when Yuri checked on her. She decided to go see the hokage herself. She went out the back door and jumped from roof to roof quickly until she was near the hokage's mansion. She dropped to the ground and went inside. The hokage stood in the hall yelling at a red face girl and a clean-shaven man.

"Excuse me, hokage-sama?" Yuri laughed nervously when the woman turned to her with a glare. She raised her hands as she took a few steps back. "I just wanted to know if my father came to see you."

"Your father is on a mission!" She snapped. With that said, she turned her attention back to her incompetent subordinates that were about to be fired if they didn't find the reports and shinobi she asked them for.

Yuri returned home and went to sleep on the couch. She would wake up in time to have dinner with Kakashi and hopefully things would be okay from then on. For some strange reason, the feeling of her being alone just would not leave. She rolled over on the couch to find that is was pitch dark outside. She jumped up and clumsily changed into a thin-strapped orange dress that reached mid thigh. She kept on her same sandals as she left and locked the door on her way out.

She ran to Kakashi's apartment at an alarming speed. He was leaving out the door just as she arrived. He raised an eyebrow. "You're early."

What?! She pushed her slightly tangled black hair over her shoulder and mentally kicked herself. It would have done her better to just look at a clock. She narrowed her eyes when she saw him smiling. "What?"

"I'm joking. Where have you been? I was just coming to check on you." He opened to door and allowed her inside.

"Papa went on a mission without alerting me. And I suppose I was tired from all that training Aya and I did today." She nodded when he lifted a bottle of wine.

The place was small and comfortable. She sat on the couch and stared at the books on the tables and the television. Had Kakashi actually gotten into watching television? She laughed at the thought. "I was laughing at you watching TV."

He shrugged, but she could tell he smiled behind his mask. "I'm not an avid fan. I just watch movies most of the time." He sat in the chair across from her.

Oh. She threw her cloak over the arm of the couch and slouched down until she was relaxed. She crossed her legs and sipped her wine silently. Kakashi began to tell her about newest mission he was sure his team would get assigned. "The remaining two members of the Akatsuki have been sighted."

She stood and looked at the pictures on the table. "Pein and Zetsu." Her laughter rang out in the room when she saw the surprised expression he wore. "Don't forget I am ANBU. We know every S-rank criminal in existence." She winked at him.

"Uhh are you hungry? I made steamed bass and noodle. Cooking is something I pride myself on doing. Come to the table. I insist you try it." He pulled the chair out for her and went into the kitchen and brought back a plate of food. He smiled when she hesitated before eating it.

Her eyes lit up from the first taste. "Wow. This ramen is better than Papa's!" She ate the food hungrily and blushed when she saw him standing beside her with a raised eyebrow. "I was hungry. Sorry."

"No, no. I was wondering why you looked so beautiful as you gobbled down my food."

Yuri gulped down the remainder of her wine and chewed on a piece of candy she had in the pouch on her hip. She blushed when she noticed Kakashi watching her. He cleared his throat and disappeared into the kitchen with her empty plate. She went to his record player and put on one of her favorite records. The slow violin music floated into the air melodically. She kicked her shoes off and twirled around the floor. She pulled him against her when he reappeared in the room. Her head fell against his chest lightly as they swayed in the light from the moonlight. She smiled to herself and inhaled the earthy scent of him. His hands slowly slid to her bareback where his rough fingers brushed her smooth skin.

She purred softly. Kakashi felt parts of him harden he wasn't exactly sure appropriate. He made an attempt to pull away, but she tightened the grip her fingers had on his vest. She ran her fingers up the back of his vest until they dug into his hair. She pushed his head down and covered his lips with her own. His hands on her back slipped until they rested on her hips. She stopped breathing when he kissed her so deep she felt his tongue at the back of her throat. She gasped for air as he abandoned her mouth and softly kissed her on the neck, nibbling her ear. He rubbed her thigh gently. She moaned and pressed herself against him tighter. The music on the record sped suddenly. It was one of her favorite songs. She pulled his shirt and vest off all in one action. He gazed at her adoringly. She had to admit he was more handsome than she remembered. She blushed and planted a soft kiss on his chin.

He lifted her and carried her to his bedroom where he gently deposited her. She lifted her dress and threw it on the floor. He was more than surprised to find that she hadn't worn anything underneath it. He kissed her again and worked himself out of his pants as he crawled into the bed with her. She took a deep breath and allowed him to explore her. Her head fell back onto the bed as his mouth teased her hardened nipples. His fingers rubbed her thighs before moving to the slightly wet valley between them. He teased her gently by rubbing her clitoris softly and sucking her nipple so hard she thought he would separate it from the round breast it was attached to. He slid his index finger inside her and found her hot and wet. She whimpered and arched her back that she was almost grinding her hips again his hand. He bit into her breast hard enough to leave a red mark. She threw her head back against the pillow and screamed as an orgasm electrified the blood in her body.

She was on fire. Her body trembled as he bit her other breast them her shoulder then kissed her on the stomach. She inhaled and exhaled deeply in an attempt to cool her body and calm the racing of her heart. His tongue dipped into her navel and traced a wet trail down into the small curls between her legs. He opened her legs and flicked his tongue over the lips there. His fingers dug into the skin of her thighs as he bent and sucked on the glistening nub there. She was in heaven. She closed her eyes and allowed the suffocating bliss she felt to envelop her body like thick blanket. She moaned loudly each time his tongue touched her clitoris as he sucked at her hungrily. His tongue slipped lower and slid into her wet hole. His upper lip brushed her clitoris as his tongue slid in and out of her quickly. She screamed again as another orgasm rode her body. She lifted her hips from the bed when he dug his fingernails into her skin deep enough to draw blood. He pushed his tongue as deep into to her as it could go and felt himself hardening even more as her body clamped down on his tongue. He moaned and quickly leaned into her for a kiss.

Her mouth overtook his. Her tongue slid into his mouth and brushed whatever it could find. She enjoyed the way she tasted when it mixed in with his saliva. She sucked at his lips hungrily before lying back. He pressed another kiss into her neck and slid between her thighs. She tensed slightly when she felt his hardened organ against her leg. He kissed her on the ear. "Are you sure you want this?" His hard hand clamped down on a breast that fit into his palm perfectly.

She moaned deeply and nodded. When she actually saw how large he was, she decided she was not ready after all, but his mouth crushed hers again as he lowered himself into her. She was going to die. She felt him hard at her entrance. He pressed his thumb against the pulse point on her neck. She moaned into his mouth as he entered her. He was gentle at first, going in only a small amount. Her teeth dug into his lower lip as he thrust into her. She would have screamed if his tongue wasn't halfway down her throat. Her fingernails raked his back as she tried to find a way to relieve the pain she felt. He frowned. "Yuri, relax." She looked into his eye and nodded. The muscles in her body slowly relaxed. Kakashi pulled out of her. Her eyelids fluttered close from the ecstasy of the feeling. He thrust into her gently again. She moaned loudly when he was half out before thrusting into her again. Her head fell to the side. He thrust into her harder. Her eyes widened from the feeling. He thrust harder still. Her mouth opened. Soft screams came from her each time he thrust into her. She lifted her legs and rested her hands on his hips. Did she want him to go deeper? He grabbed her thighs and began to pound into her so hard the sound of their skin meeting overrode the screams coming from her. Her body tightened around him.

He pulled out of her and flipped her over to her stomach. She came on his hardened penis again as soon as he entered her from behind. His hands tightened on her hips so that he was buried deep within her. He moved slowly at first, drawing whimpers from her. He dug his teeth into her shoulder and he thrust into her as hard as possible. She screamed. That one screamed made all the screams before that one seem so miniscule that Kakashi had to grab her hair and pull her head back to stop her. His fingers dug into her scalp as he pounded her from behind. He stroked her slippery clitoris. She came again, but this time he yanked her head back by her hair. She moaned loudly when his hand slapped her on the right butt cheek hard. He leaned forward and caught her left earlobe between his teeth, squeezed her breasts hard and thrust into her all at once. Would have collapsed on the bed when another orgasm hit her but he had her cradled in his arms tightly. He groaned and pulled out of her just as his own orgasm leaked out. She fell flat on the bed as he emptied himself on her back. She ran a finger through the slipper white liquid and stared at it in amazement before sliding the finger into her mouth. She smiled at the salty taste. She rolled over to her back and moved her pinky finger to call him to her. He lay between her legs with his head on her chest.

"That was amazing. Thank you." She whispered to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Her father did not return home over the next two weeks. She had Kakashi over for dinner and other fun every other night. She had to get used to the bruises and pain, but after almost a week, she was more than sure she could handle him. In certain positions anyway. She lay on the roof of their house staring out into the dark sky with Aya lying beside her. The puppy broke into a frenzy of barks. Yuri grabbed a kunai from her pocket and stood as two men wearing ANBU masks appeared in front of her. She did not lower her weapon until one of them raised their hands.

"It's okay. We came with urgent news from the hokage. You are to meet with her in five minutes in her office." They jumped to the next roof.

Yuri ushered a yelping Aya into the house and locked the door. She ran to the hokage's mansion as quickly as she could. Shizune gave her a wave as she passed, but Yuri ignored her. She stopped outside the hokage's door and knocked. When the woman called out for her to enter, she hesitated. Her heart was beating too slowly for her to really be moving. She opened the door to find the hokage and one masked ANBU member standing beside the desk. Yuri smiled at her widely. She bowed slightly. She was probably the only person to bow in the hokage's presence. "Yes, hokage-sama?"

The blonde woman stared her in the eyes thoughtfully. Yuri wondered what the hokage was thinking, but she knew the answer that would come in a matter of seconds. She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at the girl. "I have some important news to tell you."

"About my father?" Yuri asked thickly.

The hokage relaxed as she narrowed her eyes at the girl. Did she know? "Your father was killed in action several days ago in the land of water." The hokage cleared her throat when the girl continued to give her an emotionless stare. She moved uneasily in her chair. "If you would like to talk…"

Yuri tilted her head slightly. "No, I am fine. Thank you." She bowed to the hokage and opened the door to leave.

"I know Kakashi Hatake is a friend of yours. He just got back from his mission today."

Yuri nodded. She closed the door gently and walked down the halls with her head held high. _As long as nothing deadly is eating away at your insides, I want you to hold your head high, Yuri. _Her father's words rung in her head as she ignored Shizune again and left out the door quickly. She went straight home and slammed the door shut. After sliding the locks into place she slid to the floor in front of the door and cried. Her hand covered her face as she collapsed in a tight ball and cried until her head hurt. She continued to cry then. Aya licked her forehead lovingly as she whimpered to show her sympathy. Yuri went into her room and crawled into bed so that she hugged herself as she cried.

A knock at her door shook her from her grief. She debated even getting out of bed and answering the door. Aya sat on the floor in the front room barking happily. Yuri wiped her eyes and dragged herself from the bed. Her body felt heavy as she made the long path to the door. Kakashi stood there with his hands in his pockets. Yuri lifted Aya. "Is that him, Aya?" She smiled when Kakashi smiled and the puppy barked happily. She opened the door and wrapped his arms around him as soon as he stepped forward. He picked her up and closed the door with his foot. She was really lucky he got back the day the news about her father's death arrived. Or had the hokage held the information until Kakashi got back? Did Lady Tsunade know he was her only real friend, aside from Luna? He lay in bed beside her dressed in only his pants because she had insisted she would cry all over his things. Her head rested on his chest. Her body was tired from all the crying she had done. She wrapped her arm around his well-muscled abdomen and kissed him on the cheek. She sighed and drifted off into dreamland.

Kakashi had breakfast ready for her the following morning. She insisted she was not hungry, but he refused to let her leave without eating the toast and drinking the glass of milk. He held her against him on the couch as she broke down into another fit of sobs. She tried to talk to him, but nothing she said made sense because she cried too much between words. She saw a picture of her and her father on the table. He had her lifted into the air. Her black hair fell down around them like a curtain. When she was little, he wanted her to keep her hair down to her knees. As she aged, he insisted she cut it shorter. So, they came to an agreement when she chose waist length. She began to laugh. Aya climbed into her lap and curled up. She hugged the puppy against her. She looked at Kakashi then the picture of her two parents smiling widely. Her mother had dark brown skin and shiny hazel eyes. Her father was pale with green eyes. Her mother's hair was long and black while her father's was silver. Complete opposites.

"I don't look like my father at all." She said sadly. Her eyes turned upwards to gaze at Kakashi. "Do you think?"

"No, but you have his eyes." Kakashi lowered his mask and kissed her on the nose.

"My father doesn't have eyes like this." She looked at the picture of her parents smiling at her.

Kakashi shifted his weight nervously. "Actually, he does. Your mother married my uncle a year before you were born. She was in ANBU as well. About four years older than me, I think. Anyway, she went missing on a mission to the land of sound. It must have been Orochimaru. Because I highly doubt anyone else could have eyes like those. She returned home two months later. When she found out she was pregnant, she was sure it was Koshiro's. She had no memories of what happened to her. Speculation is that they kidnapped her thinking she was someone else and Orochimaru used her for his own pleasure even after they were aware of the mistake. Still, Koshiro remained with her. He was a caring man."

"How did my mother die? Papa said…" She turned to Kakashi suddenly.

"She died giving birth to you. You should have seen how he described the joy in her eyes when she saw her baby asleep in her arms. Then she started to hemorrhage and…"

"So, my blood father is this evil man people have been accusing me of being." She said the sentence to herself.

"You are as smart as he was, Yuri. But you have good in you. You don't want to rule the world just to destroy it. "

"I just want to be accepted." She buried her face in the nape of his neck.

"We need to get ready. They are having a ceremony for Koshiro at midday."

Yuri stood silently beside the hokage dressed in an ankle length long sleeved black dress and heeled back sandals. She accepted the scroll the hokage gave her with a forced smile. So, her father's resting place was close to the river he liked so much. She waved everyone away with a forced smile until no one remained but she and Kakashi. Aya sat at her heel quietly. She dropped to her knees and read the head stone. Very fitting. "Koshiro Onigatu: Father, husband, hero. Do you think if I kill Pein they will put something like this on my headstone?"

Kakashi did not laugh at her joke. "I think you should focus on what's important and not what people will think when you die." He ran his hand through her soft hair.

"And I think you should go back to your team tomorrow. I'm fine now." She wrapped an arm around his waist. She gave him a serious expression when he began to argue with her. She planted a soft kiss on his masked face and waved him away. He disappeared in a poof of smoke. She stared down at the purple scroll in her hand the hokage had given her. She should have used a jutsu so she could get home quicker, but she opted to walk. It was okay that her father had been killed, but it sucked big time that his partners had not been able to locate his body. How were they even sure he died? He could have been unconscious when the first man saw him. She sighed. Even if he had been unconscious, he was probably dead now. Surely the last member of the Akatsuki would seek vengeance for the death of his last comrade.

Aya stood behind the door barking softly. Yuri opened the door and caught the puppy when she jumped in her arms. Hopefully, she would break the puppy of the action as she aged. She closed the door and went into the kitchen where she poured two cups of water. Aya lapped at her water thirstily as Yuri sipped hers slowly. The woman set her cup down and looked around the house sadly. This was her parents' house. It was now her house. To herself. A soft barking at her heel reminded her that it was Aya's house as well. She laughed and lifted the puppy. She changed into her usual black spandex outfit. It had been a while since she trained.

Yuri stared at the tree. Human anatomy was considerably more complex than a tree, but she knew human anatomy like it was the ceiling in her bedroom. She lifted her palms against the tree and slammed them flat against the warm wood waiting for her. She flipped back several feet. The tree appeared to crumble within itself. It fell to the ground like an empty sack. Her eyes noticed the light brown liquid flowing from several cracks in the tree's bark. Perfect. Aya sat at her foot watching with attentive eyes. "I still got it, Aya."

She ran ahead of the puppy and whistled at a pitch so loud she knew only Aya or whatever dog was lurking around could her. She laughed when the puppy ran behind her happily with what looked like a large smile. Aya jumped into the air and dug her claws into the shirt on Yuri's back. That was something new. Yuri laughed as the puppy climbed up her back and onto her head. She ran several miles through the forest before deciding they needed a drink. Well, she did anyway. Yuri hopped off her shoulders into the river and barked happily as she splashed around in the water. Yuri pulled off her shirt and dived in as well. She chased the puppy around the water and pretended to run when Aya chased her. She lay on her back staring at the passing clouds until Aya pounced on her and made her place on Yuri's chest. They moved slowly against the current.

"Akamaru said he smelled someone in this direction." Kiba's voice floated out to her. She pretended not to hear him as she floated further to the other side of the river. "Someone could have killed you, you know."

Yuri ducked under the water. Aya yelped as she fell back into the water and began swimming to the bank. Yuri swam to the bottom of the river and waited. Minutes passed. She smirked when she heard a loud splash. Kiba's muscular form dived into the water. He squinted in an attempt to find her. Yuri rolled her eyes and climbed out of the water She squeezed the water from her hair and pulled her shirt on. After thumping Akamaru on the chest, she motioned for Aya to follow her, but the puppy remained at Akamaru's side staring at him.

"That was not nice." Kiba yelled from the water. He stomped from the river and shook himself as if he was a large dog. He looked almost as dry as he did before getting in the water. "I thought you were dying."

"Ahh. That's when you notice me. I'm a ninja, Kiba. I can hold my breath for nearly three quarters of an hour. Thanks." She narrowed her eyes at the puppy. "Aya, I am leaving."

She wasn't surprised when she heard the puppy barking after she'd walked several yards. Aya lay on Akamaru's head with Kiba walking beside them. Yuri frowned. What in the hell was that dog trying to do to her? She snatched the wet puppy from Akamaru's head and gave him a kiss as thank you. Aya barked at her happily as she walked away from the two of them.

"I'm sorry, you know. Whatever." Kiba yelled when she was nearly out of earshot.

"Whatever!" She yelled back to him. She decided it would be best for her and him if she went home. As a matter of fact, she didn't even want to be at home. She slipped into a bright yellow sweater and khaki pants that almost reached her ankles. It was time for her to go on another mission.

The hokage stared at her with an amused expression. "You realize that me giving you a mission right now would compromise about three rules? You have two weeks of grieving time. It hasn't been a full week yet. In those two weeks you are not to receive any missions. Now, if you happen to steal a folder from my desk while I'm not looking. Such as that yellow one on the corner. I would not be able to do anything but punish you for theft. Thanks for visiting."

Yuri nodded and left the room with a sullen expression. Shizune stood in the hall with an apologetic expression on her face, which Yuri ignored. She didn't even glance at the woman as she left the building. Deciding to stop for flavored ice, Yuri sulked towards the shop she had visited a week before. She ordered a cup of pineapple flavored ice and stood in the shop staring out the window as she ate it. The streets were deserted. It was the day most people went to the different temples to pray. She stepped out into the street with a small frown. Why did she not have the decency to pick up a religion? Because she knew her being a shinobi meant she accepted death and therefore had no place in her heart for make believe deities. She chewed on a chunk of ice as she walked down the street still debating if she should stop in one of the temples just to see how it worked. She decided against it. Aya may be at home worried about her.

The puppy was dead to the world as she slept in her basket by the door. Yuri closed the curtains in the house and went into her bedroom where, to no one's surprise, there were no windows. She locked her door and gently removed a yellow folder from underneath her shirt. The hokage would probably figure out the folder on her desk was just a copy when she tried to throw it at whoever pissed her off next. Her oddly colored eyes scanned the information.

It was an assassination mission. The person to be assassinated was a woman who had killed several of her own siblings and tried to kill her father twice. Her specialty was appearance jutsus. Oh and she could kick some serious ass with taijutsu. Yuri pulled her uniform from the closet and stared at the mask in her hand. It would be good be hidden again. She would leave the following morning. She put her bag, which was always packed, by her door. After a long yawn, she climbed into bed.

Aya sat at her door barking incessantly. GAH! Ignoring the urge to rip the puppy to shreds, she snatched the door open and stared in horror at a puppy smudged in its own poop. Yuri groaned as she ran the water in the tub. She ushered Aya into the bubble bath and went to inspect the damage. There was none aside from the smudge of dog poop on the tiles in the kitchen. Great. She mopped the kitchen up quickly before returning to the bathroom. Aya barked happily as Yuri scrubbed her clean then tossed her onto the floor. The dog growled at her softly before yelping and running from the bathroom to dodge a soaking sponge.

"Okay, Aya, you have to remain quiet, like we practiced. You don't make a sound until I decide you can." She stared at the dog. Aya nodded. Yuri rolled her eyes and pulled her black mask on. It was still dark out. She put her new black bag on her back. It had an extra pocket on it where she could hide Aya. She slipped out of the back door. There was something exciting about sneaking in and out of her house. She made sure the doors and windows were locked. Great. She jumped to the rooftop and moved quickly towards the gate. The only reason she bothered with walking back through the gate was to make the guys controlling it feel needed. She dropped a scroll in the basket as she flipped over it. The ninja jumped up, but read the scroll before doing anything else. He laughed; of course it was Yuri. She was the only person that bothered to tell him she was leaving.

She ran swiftly, deciding to change her eye color as she jumped into a tree. Green would be a beautiful color. The green she decided on was the same deep green like an emerald that mirrored her father's eye color. Sweet. She kept moving at a pace she knew she would have to slow by midday, which was part of her plan. She could rest during the day and travel when it was dark. She opened the flap to the pocket that hid Aya. The puppy's head popped out. Her ears flapped in the wind as Yuri jumped from branch to branch.

The trip was supposed to take two days. Yuri knew that she would make it there in half the time. She did not need to sleep. An hour or two of rest would be enough for her. She sat in the darkness of a cave Aya had found while she had run away. Yuri slipped a food pill into her mouth and hesitated in giving Aya the food pill her father had created. She had spent the night before his ceremony perfecting it. The puppy nibbled the small blue pill in her hand. Aya would have barked if Yuri's hand had not clamped down on the puppy's mouth. She glared at her. Aya looked embarrassed. Yuri nuzzled noses with her and pushed her back into her bag. She stretched out for a little sleep.

It was still day when she awoke. She pulled her bag onto her back and jumped into the nearest tree. Really, what was she in a rush for anyway? Her father wasn't going to be at home waiting for her. She crouched on the tree branch and looked around the forest. She pressed herself against the tree when she heard female voices approaching.

"We're supposed to kill her then kill her father. You poisoned the wrong princess. If she lives, she's going to kill us!" A short thin woman with long red hair ran quickly beside a woman that looked exactly like her, but with brown hair.

"I'm sorry! It was an easy mistake. They look more alike than us!" The brown haired woman jumped out of the way of a punch her sister threw at her. "Hey, don't play around in here. There are dangerous people lurking everywhere."

Yuri lifted the mask she wore and narrowed her eyes at the red haired woman. Really…could this be the woman she was meant to assassinate? When the woman missed two kicks thrown at her sister, she knew that wasn't her target. She closed her eyes and imagined the picture again. Aya barked in her pocket. Yuri dropped down to the ground. The branch she had been standing on fell to the ground with a loud thump.

"Looks like we found ourselves a pretty kitty from the leaf village." The red haired woman said in an annoyingly squeaky voice. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Her lips pouted slightly. "Not a talkative kitty."

"I just want to say I did not want to do this, Ojo." The brown haired woman said from behind.

It was her prey. Yuri did a changing jutsu and made Aya into a kunai. She pulled her from the bag and purposely missed. The red head laughed. "I think the kitty is sick."

First, she would get rid of the brown haired woman then worry about Red. Her hand slipped into a pouch at her thigh as she ran towards them. Red flipped out of the way, leaving the brown haired woman exposed. The woman's eyes were as round as saucers when she saw the kunai in Yuri's hand. She hesitated, but threw the kunai nonetheless. She ducked as Red threw several punches at her. The kunai hit the brown haired woman in the chest; she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Damn. Yuri blocked Red's punches and kicks as she backed away, looking around for the brown haired woman. She saw her crouched behind several bushes. Two kunai she had explosive tags attached to shred through the air. One hit the tree behind the hidden woman and one landed in front of her. She jumped away just as the one in front of her exploded, but she hadn't noticed the one lodged in the tree. The explosion hit her in the back and sent her falling to the ground. The tree fell on top of her.

"Momo?" Red or Ojo turned towards where the explosion had occurred. She flipped out of the way of three shurikens and ran towards the scene of the accident.

Yuri appeared in front of her suddenly and slammed her knee into the woman's face. She spiraled backwards. Red stood with a deep frown on her face. She did a quick jutsu and pointed her finger at Yuri. She jumped out of the way of a bolt of lightning. Red aimed her finger at the girl again and shot another blast of white electricity as her. Yuri hid behind a tree, but was forced to move when lightning cut the tree in half. She did a jutsu of her own. "Water style. Dragon jutsu!" The large water dragon rose up from the dry ground. The water slammed into the surprised woman. Yuri jumped onto the branch lowest to the ground. She waited. The water cleared to reveal a fuming Red. She screamed and did another jutsu. "Fire style. Fire jutsu!" Yuri flipped from the tree. Really.

She was one of the fastest people in her village, who would try and use a fireball jutsu on her? She smirked underneath her mask as she ran towards the woman with a kunai in hand. Red blocked the kunai with the sleeve of her kimono. She also skillfully blocked every punch Yuri threw at her. She kicked Yuri in the back and slammed her palm into Yuri's side. Yuri did a quick sealing jutsu. The woman had tried to kill her chakra! She ducked an attack on her from Red with the kunai she had thrown at her. The woman attacked relentlessly, actually managing to cut Yuri twice on the arm. Yuri growled and was surprised when she landed a hard palm slap on the woman's chest. She laughed when the woman stumbled away coughing. She blocked another attack on her by the kunai wielding woman and slammed another palm into her chest. Done.

Red threw the kunai away and did a jutsu. The wind around them picked up. Yuri moved to jump out of the way of the wind tunnel, but it caught her foot. Her back slammed into the tree. Red attacked her again. Through all the blood she coughed up, she landed several well-planned punches on Yuri's chest and stomach. The woman jumped into the air and did a roundhouse kick. Yuri ducked and did an uppercut that caught Red in the chin. The woman flew back against a tree, but landed on her feet. She jumped into the air aimed for Yuri. Yuri frowned. Why wasn't she dead already? The woman grabbed her by the vest and slammed her into a tree. Yuri blocked a kick with her knee. She allowed the woman to slam both her palms into the stomach so that she could land the finishing blow on her. Her palms crushed the woman's chest cavity.

She pressed a trembling hand against her abdomen. It felt as if the organs in her abdominal cavity were slowly breaking down. She pressed her palm against her stomach and closed her eyes. What a brilliant jutsu. She stood there reconstructing her chakra so that it would stop attacking her organs. Then, she used what little chakra she had reserved to rebuild her stomach and lower intestine. The liver would grow back naturally. She sat down in front of a tree and whistled. Aya ran to her. She picked the puppy up and took the chakra pill she had hidden in Aya's collar from the small frame. She slipped it into her mouth and rested her head against the tree.

"What exactly are your trying to do to me?" Red stood in front of her with blood gushing from her mouth and nose. She stumbled towards Yuri.

"It's a move my father and I created. The first hit to your chest stills your important organs excluding your heart and brain. The second palm hit causes the formerly stopped organs to implode. The third palm hit causes that blood to rush to your brain and heart."

"Oh." Red dropped to her knees and slammed face first into the ground.

Yuri nudged the body with her foot. She walked over to where the tree had fallen. The brown haired woman, named Momo, lay underneath the tree gasping for air. Yuri hesitated, but decided killing her would probably be the best of the ideas popping in her head. She pulled a kunai from her pouch and quickly slit the woman's throat. "Fire style. Fire jutsu." The fire engulfed the tree and body. She dragged Red's body to the fire and threw it in. She jumped into the tree closest to her little mess and waited until the fire had died down. She dug a large hole and pushed the ashes into it. After filling the hole, she jumped back into the tree.

She'd just gotten lucky in deciding to leave that morning. Who would have guessed the woman and her conspiring sister would be on the run and most likely headed towards the leaf village? Yuri sat in the cave with a small fire glowing in front of her. She neatly wrote up her report, admitting in the first sentence that she was not legally assigned to the mission, thus she expected no pay. She laughed; her father had left her enough money for her to retire from being a shinobi and open her own shop. Aya rested her head on Yuri's thigh.

Yuri shoved her report into her bag and did a jutsu that made her fake fire disappear. She healed the cuts on her arms and stretched out so she could go to sleep. Aya crawled onto her chest with a yawn. Yuri rolled her eyes; just like her pet to be tired when she hadn't done anything to help in the fight.

Aya trotted beside her with her tongue hanging out her mouth. They were near the gate. The man in the tower waved at her as she threw a well-aimed scroll at him. He yelled a welcome down to her before nodding to the men controlling the lever. She lifted Aya and walked inside as the gates parted. The first face she saw was Luna's as she walked towards the steam houses. She screamed and rushed her friend. "Luna!" She laughed at the look her friend gave her.

"Jubei said you were back to using your natural eye color. Anyone giving you grief about it?" The girl lifted the basket of sheets she carried. She narrowed her eyes at Yuri. "That Inuzuka guy asked me about you. Where have you been? I've been home a week."

"I decided to take a break since I got lucky on my mission. Come by and see me later." Yuri shoved Aya back into her bag as she went forward into the busy village. She jumped onto a rooftop and hopped from roof to roof quickly. She landed in front of the hokage's building and went inside. Of course Shizune did not recognize her as wore her mask. She went up the stairs and waited until Shizune told her to go inside.

Kakashi stood in the corner with his hands in his pockets. His one eye stared at her. She removed her masks and held them in her hand tightly as she dropped her report on the hokage's desk. "Sorry I'm late."

"Where have you been?" Tsunade asked angrily. "We've been looking for you."

"Uhh I stole this yellow folder from your desk, completed the mission, then took a small time off to rest." Yuri nodded thoughtfully. She dropped the folder on the desk.

"Oh, you did. I should have you punished for doing so. As it stands, we have some information about your father." She frowned at the two yellow folders on the desk. Her eyebrows rose when Yuri lifted the yellow folder and threw it against the wall. It disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Tusnade blinked. "Wonderful. And I thought you'd decided to go home and lick your wounds."

"Excuse me, hokage, but shouldn't we be talking about the information?" Kakashi stared at the woman in charge pointedly.

"Well, you're the one who found the information. Why are you looking at me?" She picked up Yuri's report and began reading it. She laughed at the first few sentences.

"I discovered from several sources that your father isn't dead. One source told me he saw him working as a healer in the land of fire. Another as a healer in the land of mist. Also a healer in the land of trees." Kakashi's voice was gentle.

"Basically, he's a healer." Yuri said blankly.

Kakashi smiled at her. "Basically."

"Does he know who he is?"

"Highly doubtful. One of my source says he easily wounded him." Kakashi stood from his place against the wall.

"Wounded him?! Which one of the sources are more up to date?" Yuri asked angrily. Aya growled in her bag.

"I talked to the source from the land in the trees three days ago." Kakashi frowned.

"Tell me you did not take that wretched animal on the mission with you." Tsunade said through gritted teeth.

"No?" Yuri laughed and scratched her head. "Okay, but only because I had no one to keep her!" She opened the flap and Aya's head popped out. She scratched under the puppy's chin. "But she won't be going with me this time. I would like to request Luna Tessouragi travel with me."

"Actually," the hokage said with a wicked smile, "I thought it would be best if you had a three person team. You, Luna and…" She swirled in her chair slightly until she was pointed towards Kakashi. "Kakashi will do fine. Or, would you prefer to go on the mission I have planned for your team? I'm letting Yamato stand in for you again."

Kakashi looked at Yuri. "Koshiro is my uncle. I'll happily take this mission."

"Okay. Get out of my office then." Tsunade looked down at the report again. "Hold on, Yuri, you fought Ojo and Momo? And yet you have all your limbs… what happened?"

"Momo was ill, I think. Her movements were sluggish. I noted that at the bottom. She also looked as if…"

"She had just given birth?" Tsunade asked sullenly. She hated when young women had to go on mission that involved anyone expecting or toting a baby. "That's probably how you caught them. We found a baby at our gates several weeks ago. Momo probably had a change of heart and begged Ojo to go back with her."

Yuri nodded. "Perhaps. She was easier to kill. Ojo…"

"Which of her jutsus did she almost kill you with?" Tsunade crossed her legs.

"My abdominal organs were eating themselves."

"Good you are a skilled medic-nin." Tsunade said thoughtfully. "Thank you."

Yuri bowed slightly and pulled her masks on before leaving. She walked past Shizune again without looking at the woman. What was on her mind was the possibility that her father could really be alive. She moved from roof to quickly. She landed behind her house and slipped inside. Aya jumped out of her bag as soon as they were inside the door. She looked at Kakashi standing in the doorframe that led to the kitchen. He walked towards her. Aya barked at him happily and jumped in his arms. He scratched her on the head gently before putting her back on the floor. She ran into the front room where Yuri was sure she was probably eating. She removed her masks and threw them on the counter. Next, her vest fell to the floor. She stood in front of him dressed in black spandex. He pressed a hard kiss against her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He lowered her pants and underwear so that she could kick them away. She unzipped his pants. He pressed her against the wall and lifted her by her thighs. She moaned softly in his ear. If only she could return from every mission with a greeting like that.


	6. Chapter 6

Luna sat at the table dressed in a short black skirt and a silky black halter-top. The black leather boots she wore clicked on the wooden floor each time she took a step. Her boyishly cut hair glowed with the lights. She stared at a smiling Yuri with a strange sense of apprehension. Yuri lifted the cup of tea she had ordered. Honestly, she didn't feel like doing anything at that moment but crawling into bed and staring at the ceiling.

"What do you want from me, Yuri?" Luna emptied her cup of sake. Her hazel eyes widened when she spotted Kakashi walking in. A sigh of disappointment escaped her lips. "Does that man ever change clothes? He probably sleeps in that!" She sipped Yuri's tea, but frowned when she realized there wasn't any liquor in it.

"He doesn't wear that all the time..." Yuri gazed into her cup of tea as Kakashi walked towards them through the crowd.

"How would you know?" Luna raised her eyebrows curiously. Yuri's cheeks were almost as red as strawberries when Kakashi arrived at the table with a smile for the both of them. Luna sprayed the man and her friend with sake. "Oh, no. Don't tell me." She stared at Kakashi pointedly.

"So. So, Luna, I wanted to ask you if you would go with us tomorrow. Kakashi and I are going to visit my sick aunt." Yuri pleaded silently with her friend to drop the other subject.

"Fine. Do I have to dress up for this visit?" Luna dipped her finger into her sake and sucked it playfully, winking at Kakashi. He blinked.

"No. Kakashi, why don't you go get us another drink?" She smiled at him. He nodded and disappeared in the crowd. Yuri turned to Luna with a glare. "Don't bring that up in front of him!"

"I can't believe you're sleeping with him. He's almost old enough to be your dad." She looked at the ceiling. "Not really, but he's old."

Yuri smirked. "He isn't. As sore as I am following time with him…" Yuri pretended to laugh as Kakashi approached with two cups. He placed one in front of Yuri and one in front of Luna. She blushed at the look he gave her and pretended to drink out of her cup.

"Kakashi, are you screwing Yuri?" Luna asked suddenly.

"Uhh.." Kakashi scratched his head and smiled at Luna. He waved and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"You made him leave!" Yuri glared at her.

"Don't do that. You look like that creepy guy I saw in all those pictures when I was in the land of the sound." Luna scratched the table. Yuri nudged her in the side when Sasuke walked by. Luna rolled her eyes. "Sakura is marrying Lee, but I heard someone say she is pregnant by Sasuke. Plus, he and Kiba are kind of an item."

"Luna, where the heck do you get this stuff? I could make that up in my sleep." Yuri snorted. She grabbed Sasuke by the collar when he passed the third time. She turned him towards the table and smiled at him widely. "Would you be interested in dancing with me?" She bat her eyelashes at him. He glanced over his shoulder as if he was looking for someone, but he nodded. Her eyes darted to Luna when he turned her back. Luna rolled her eyes and did the copy jutsu so that she looked exactly like Yuri. Yuri ducked under the table as Luna walked out onto the floor with Sasuke. She watched them dancing closely with a large smile. Luna and Sasuke started to loosen up and that's when the real fun started. The girl danced as if she was the only person on the dance floor. When the music slowed, she pulled Sasuke close to her and grinded their hips together slowly.

"I assume that was your idea?" Kakashi's voice floated down to her. She peeped at him over the edge of the table. He smiled at her.

"Yeh. Luna is such a chicken."

"You do realize he thinks he is dancing with you…" Kakashi stared her blankly.

Her head hit the table hard as she jumped from underneath it. She got back into her seat and frowned deeply. "As long as he doesn't try anything, I'll be fine."

"Tell Luna your breasts are bigger and your thighs are more muscular." He shrugged when she gave him a glare. "Just trying to help you girls." Kakashi raised an eyebrow when Sasuke's hand touched Luna's thighs and moved to her butt. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tell her to change back."

Yuri smiled inwardly. "Why? She wants to dance with Sasuke."

"He thinks he's dancing with you." Kakashi said pointedly.

"So?"

Kakashi leaned across the table so that his masked face was less than an inch from hers. She inhaled deeply. He smiled at the fact that he could get such a response from her. He wrapped his arm around her and leaned forward so that he was hidden in the dark corner. He lowered his mask and pressed a hot kiss against her neck. He bit her earlobe gently before whispering, "I don't like to share." He smiled against her face when she groaned. He pulled his mask into place as Yuri abandoned her seat.

She walked towards Luna to find that Luna had stupidly chosen to use her hazel eyes instead of her own. And Kakashi was right. Yuri's breasts were bigger than what Luna projected. She nudged Luna in the back gently. "Could you please drop the jutsu? You're angering my lover."

Sasuke stared at the two of them. "What?"

Luna stopped dancing and stared at him. "It was a joke. We thought you would guess."

""No, but her breasts are larger and her eyes aren't easy to forget." Sasuke pressed her against him again with his hand in the small of her back. "But I like the way your lips look when you pout. Or your eyes light up when you see me walk by." He dipped her. Luna returned to her normal appearance. "Beautiful." She kept her arms wrapped around his neck.

Yuri laughed when Kakashi pulled her away from the two of them. "Let's go for a walk."

They walked slowly down the sidewalk beside one another. Yuri stared at him shamelessly out the corner of her eye. She slipped her hand into his and bumped shoulders with him. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and pretended to be interested in the passing buildings. Yuri blushed when he pressed a kiss into the side of her head. He squeezed her shoulder, pulling her attention to him. She gasped when she saw he had his headband lifted from his sharingan.

She was weightless. Her body floated in a river of timeless pleasure. Kakashi stood over her nude, clutching her in his arms as the pleasure slammed into them. Yuri opened her mouth in a silent scream of pleasure. His lips crushed hers. A small fire ignited in her stomach and spread throughout her blood. She could feel her body burning as if someone had dropped her on the sun. An unbearable sensation began to build in her lower abdomen. She clutched at the shoulder of the man kissing her neck. His fingertips dug into her hair, sending thousands of sensations through her body at once. She would have screamed if his mouth had not covered hers again. It happened. An explosion of pleasure she could never have imagined spread through her body so quickly she collapsed from it.

Her eyelids fluttered open. Kakashi stood over her with a raised eyebrow. He had covered his sharingan again with his headband. Yuri looked around the room and found she was in his bed undressed. "How did we get here?"

Kakashi laughed. "We've been here since we left the bar. Are you okay? Uhh was that too strong?"

Yuri sighed and slid further underneath the covers. She pulled Kakashi on top of her and kissed his lower lip. "That was amazing. I thought I was going to die from pleasure. I never could imagine anything so…" She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, you know."

"I know. And I love you." He kissed her on the tip of her nose and rested his head on her chest. "Get lots of rest. We go on our adventure tomorrow."

"Kakashi?" Yuri stared at the ceiling with a sly smile. She sat up a little when he looked up at her. "I was wondering if you could do that when I'm fully dressed."

"Yeh, but the last part wouldn't be as 'amazing' as you exclaimed." He said with a smile.

Yuri shrugged. "Good enough."


	7. Chapter 7

Luna stood at the gate dressed in a knee length black skirt with black tights underneath and a sleeveless shirt the color of the daytime sky. Her black hair was brushed down and she wore black sandals. She adjusted the brown bag on her back. Okay. Where in the hell were her teammates? She frowned. Yuri appeared in the middle of the street suddenly. She stretched, dressed in knee length black tights and a long sleeved red silk shirt. The shirt fit her neatly, reaching the middle of her thighs and closing at her neck with a big gold button. Yuri had her black hair flowing out behind her. She checked her black bag again before trotting towards her friend.

"You did bring your cloak, right?" Yuri asked thoughtfully. She figured they could try the other leads if they met a dead end in the land of trees.

"Yeh. Where's Kakashi?" Luna asked through gritted teeth. It was almost dawn.

"He's coming." Yuri thought about her puppy playing with an overly large Akamaru as Kiba looked on. Aya would have a wonderful time there while she was away. Yuri raked her fingers through her hair and put it in a high ponytail.

"When is he coming? Tomorrow?" Luna growled.

"He was kinda tired." Yuri scratched her nose. She turned away from her friend and stared at an approaching figure. "Here he comes." Her eyes darted to her impatient friend fuming in front of the large wooden gate.

"Hey, guys." Kakashi said happily. He looked at Yuri when Luna growled and led the way out of the gates.

They walked in silence for several miles. Yuri had a strange feeling Luna's sour mood had nothing to do with Kakashi being late. She glanced at the woman on the other side of Kakashi and forced a smile when she stared at her. Yuri kicked a rock away with a black sandaled foot. Her toenails were painted a bright red color. She looked at the sky and thought about that time she'd run into that man on the roof of that person's house. She hadn't been back there since. Maybe she should visit there and see if she could find him. He seemed like an interesting enough guy. She looked at Kakashi out the corner of her eye. He gave her a little smile. She blushed furiously and covered her mouth with her hand. How had he known she would try and steal a glance from him?

The first village they stopped in was almost two days from Konoha. Yuri lay in bed beside a fully dressed Kakashi while Luna stood at the window staring out into nothing. Yuri nudged Kakashi in the side to signal to him that he should make up a reason to leave the room. He looked at the ceiling. Yuri could almost see the light bulb go off in his big head. He stood with a yawn.

"Ladies, I'm going to go ahead and check the area out for the next few miles. And yes, Yuri, I will take someone with me." He waved to them before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Yuri laughed. She watched Luna staring out the window as if she was the loneliest person in the world. She climbed from the bed and went to her friend at the window. Her hand rested on Luna's shoulder and scared the other woman back into the real world. Luna's eyes looked as if the were filled with confusion and perhaps a small glimmer of hope.

She turned to Yuri. "We were too drunk to remember a stupid contraceptive jutsu."

Yuri smiled. She reached into the pouch on her hip and pulled out a clear pill. The clear liquid inside shook each time the pill moved. "Take this."

Luna took the pill and swallowed it without thought. She turned back to the window. "What is it?"

"It's a contraceptive pill. I would like to have credit for making it, but some other guy was trying to make it, but he died. I took the formula and fixed it. I'm the only person using them. Each time after I have sex with Kakashi I take one. That's it. Want to know how it works?"

Luna frowned as she went to the bed and lay down. "I hate chemistry, Yuri. I was never smart in it."

"Well, it works like this: when a man releases sperm inside a woman's womb they travel to the egg waiting to be fertilized. Conception occurs within a day of the last time the sperm entered the body. If not, all the sperm die in the woman's womb and are washed away. Now, this pill fights those sperm. It has special chemicals in it that gets into the blood stream and causes the woman to release more of the chemical that kills the sperm in the first place. Now, you may be pregnant. If you are pregnant, then the pill you just took isn't going to do anything. But…"

The shorthaired woman sat up suddenly. "But what?"

"But I think I know a way I could help you not have a baby." Yuri stared at the wall. She remembered the jutsu Red had used on her perfectly. But could she really kill a baby with it? The scientist part of her wanted to try so she could collect data, but the feminine part of her would never do something like that. She felt bad each time she took one of the pills. How would she feel knowing she killed someone's child?

"Yuri!" Luna frowned at her wide-eyed friend. She knew whenever Yuri had that face her brain was working overtime. "You will help me?"

She stared at her friend. "No, Luna, I cannot."

"It's true, you know. He told me Sakura was pregnant with his child, but Lee still wants to marry her. And I'm just another drunken night he won't remember."

"Luna, you got Sasuke drunk so he would sleep with you. When you realized he hadn't used the contraceptive jutsu you panicked and left." Yuri looked at her friend incredulously. "And you want me to kill the child that is probably growing inside you. You should go back home. I'll write a letter to the hokage." Yuri went to her bag and pulled out a scroll and pen. Her hand moved across the paper quickly. She sealed the scroll with a red string and went to find a messenger. She paid him and sent him away with he scroll. She made no mention of the mission whatsoever. The scroll simply said that her sister was ill and returning home. She ignored a death glare from Luna.

"I would do this for you, Yuri." She stated.

"Luna, I have known you for almost ten years. If I did this, you would hate me almost as much as I would hate myself. Please pack your things while I go to find someone to escort you home." Yuri walked to the door. Luna lay on the bed crying. She ignored the small pang in her chest as the door closed softly behind her. There were no such things as gods, so, she would not try and play one. Yuri accosted several men before rounding up a good four of them to agree to escort Luna home. Of course they would do so at a reasonable price. She paid them half and pointed to a grave looking Luna standing in front of the inn they were currently staying at. She motioned her friend over. They were introduced. Their trek home was planned for the following morning when Yuri (known to the people in the village as Surite) and Kakashi (Josuke) would be leaving as well.

"Suuh ree tay. That's it!" Yuri exclaimed happily to an elderly woman. She bought a large roll from the baker and handed it to the woman. "Take this home and enjoy it." She touched the woman on the shoulder as she hobbled away.

"Well, Surite, I hope you treat my child as sweet as you do that old woman." Luna said coldly.

"Of course, Maya." Yuri glared daggers at her. "I think we should return and let you rest since we'll be leaving so early. She grabbed Luna's hand and led her inside the small inn. Her grip on Luna's hand tightened when she saw Kakashi standing beside the door with his little book in hand. He waved at them. Yuri stopped several feet away from him. "Lift your headband." She smiled when she saw he did have the Sharingan. She did several hand movements and pointed her finger at him. Lightning shot out her finger and struck the wall beside him. "Copy it."

"Where did you learn that?" He asked curiously. He slipped his book into his back pocket. He smiled widely as he executed the jutsu flawlessly. "You're a copycat too."

Yuri laughed and rushed forward to hug him. "It takes several tries before I actually get it right, but I manage. My mind is just good at remembering good jutsus." She cleared her throat when Luna went into the room and slammed the door. Yuri sighed loudly and rested her head on Kakashi's shoulder. She really should consider making new friends. "She had sex with Sasuke and may be pregnant."

"And you won't help her." Kakashi smiled at her. "I think life is precious. I agree with you." He opened the door for her to go inside. "You stay here with her. I'll be out here."

Yuri groaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But Josuke, I wanted to stare into those beautiful eyes of yours again tonight." She kissed him on the forehead and went inside. She closed the door slowly, smiling at him until it clicked closed.

Her friend lay on the bed staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. If her chest wasn't rising and falling, Yuri would have thought she was dead. She sat on the edge of the bed and touched Luna's hand. The woman made a sound in the back of her throat and turned to the wall. Yuri sighed and got into bed beside her. She couldn't force Luna to accept or be any way but the way she wanted to be. She closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing the chakra flow to her brain. It was an easier way for her to go to sleep when she was worried about something. Her mind slowly settled into itself as she drifted off into uninterrupted rest.

Soft lips pressed into her neck. Yuri yawned and smiled at Kakashi. She jumped from the bed and went to the sink where she brushed her teeth and brushed her hair until it was shiny again. Her eyes watched the silver haired man in the mirror as he moved around the room putting her things in her bag. She washed her face quickly and decided she would rather wear her hair down for that day. She turned when she noticed that Luna no longer lay on the bed. The brush in her hand fell to the floor. Her searching eyes darted to a slightly amused Kakashi.

"She left earlier. I let you sleep longer. You looked tired." Kakashi said gently. "Oh, the messenger returned. Your aunt is sending your cousin to travel with us. He'll be bringing along his pet."

Yuri groaned and sat on the floor with a small frown. She brightened suddenly. "Does that mean we can wait here until he arrives?" She smiled when Kakashi nodded with a "duh" look on his face. She crawled towards him as her smile widened. She grabbed the waistline of his pants. "We can have fun until he arrives." She unzipped his pants and slid her hand inside. Kakashi nodded slowly. He knew he should have said no, but the feel of her stroking him was all he could think of. She unbuttoned his pants and pretended to be surprise when she found him as stiff as a board. Her hand gently grasped him. He shuddered above her. Yuri hesitated. She had never exactly done what she was about to do before. Her eyes roamed over the swollen organ in her hand. She looked up into his eye as she flicked her tongue over the tip of it. Judging from his reaction, he seemed to like what she was doing so far. Her tongue licked each inch of him, even going as far as to lick the to balls at the base. She sucked at the middle of him playfully. And laughed when he dug his fingers in her hair in an attempt to move her mouth more over him. She made a sound with her tongue and slowly slid the tip of him into her mouth.

Unsure of whether or not she was doing it right, she sucked softly at first. She sucked harder until he grabbed handfuls of her hair and opened his mouth with a gasp. She tongue brushed the length of him as she continued to suck the tip. A trail of saliva remained on the organ when she pulled back. She wondered if he would enjoy being completely inside her throat. Her hand stroked him gently as she threw her head back and reached into her mouth. She removed a purple scroll and placed it on the bed. Luckily, Kakashi's eye had been closed and he hadn't seen what she'd done. She relaxed her throat and slowly took him into her mouth inch by inch. Soon he hit the back of her throat she sighed and debated if it was actually wise of her to do such a thing to him. He grabbed her head and rammed himself down her throat. The sphincter on her esophagus tightened around him as she swallowed. She slowly pulled him from her throat and slid him inside again. He stood over her in the deepest of ecstasy. She moved faster. He made a sound above her and nearly ripped her hair out as he came inside her mouth. She swallowed as much as she could, but most of it ran down her chin onto the carpet.

The door opened. Kiba stood there with Akamaru at his side. He stared at them for several seconds as his mind processed what was going on. He closed the door again. Kakashi fixed his pants and Yuri jumped to her feet. She washed her face again and smiled at Kakashi in the mirror. That was an awkward moment. They both laughed. Yuri gave him a quick kiss before they abandoned the room. Kiba sat outside with his bag resting at his feet. She him with a smirk.

"Guess you'll learn how to knock on doors then." She smiled at him. "Did auntie tell you where we are going?"

"No. Everyone else has gone on vacation. My usual buddy went along with them. I was the last hope for you guys. Sorry." Kiba said gravely.

"We're happy to have you, Shinji!" Yuri said happily. She kissed him on the cheek and led him ahead of Kakashi. "My dear cousin. It's been a while. How is Aya doing?"

"Well, she's truly becoming better than we thought. Makes mom regret trying to get rid of her."

"We should travel east when we come to the creek up ahead." Kakashi said from behind. Yuri turned to him with a large smile.

"Yes, Josuke." She agreed.

"Why am I Shinji?" Kiba asked stupidly. He glared at the woman beside him. She was dressed in a silky dark blue shirt that reached mid thigh length with a silver button at her throat. He looked at Kakashi over his shoulder. His nose was buried deep in a book with a bright yellow cover and a woman with a sheet wrapped around her. Another one of Jiraiya's classics? He looked back down at Yuri babbling on and on about them going to meet their uncle and her sister Luna having a baby by Sasuke. Kiba stopped abruptly. Kakashi moved to the side and walked ahead of him with Yuri. "What?!"

Yuri motioned him forward so they could continue to walk and talk. "Yes."

"I saw him bring her in. He was wasted. I thought she left. "First Sakura. Now this. I know he wants to revive the clan, but damn." Kiba rolled his eyes when Yuri burst into laughter at the look Kakashi gave the other man. "Why are we walking?"

"Because we're just going to visit. Running would imply an emergency of sort." Yuri poked him in the side playfully. "Loosen up, Shinji, we have another day's walk before we can speed up. Tell me what I've missed at home."

"Uhh fox face proposed to the princess. The king of destiny lost an eye during a game." Kiba scratched his nose with a sharp claw. He smiled, revealing fangs. "Mother wants Aya to mate with Akamaru."

"Ugh, no!" Yuri frowned. She thought about her small puppy being violated by the overly large dog. Aya would die.

"When she's older, stupid. She's not even mature yet." Kiba growled. He put several feet between them. He blushed when Yuri eased towards him and wrapped her arms around his forearm with large eyes. She rested her head on his shoulder; he could smell the sweet scent of her hair floating up to his nose. He cast a quick glance at Kakashi, but the older man was busily reading his perverted book. Kiba cast a sideway glance at Yuri and sniffed. "You're still stupid."

Yuri rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach. She laughed and ran ahead of them. "Come and catch me, Shinji!" She waved her hands at him wildly as she leapt into the tree to avoid a swipe by him. Her laughter echoed into the forest as they jumped from tree to tree in haste with him following her.

He smirked and jumped from the tree. Yuri looked around curiously with wide greenish yellow eyes. Her hands rested on her hips. A small scream erupted from deep within her when the tree she stood on began to collapse. Strong arms caught her as she made her descent to the green grass feet below. Kakashi sat her aside and pulled his book out again. Yuri muffled a scream and kicked him in the back. He fell to the ground in a puff of smoke. Kiba sat there glaring at her with his teeth bared. She laughed and dived for him. He gasped and flipped out of the way. Her fist slammed into the right side of his abdomen so quickly he was unsure if it had actually happened. A gloved hand grabbed her ankle as her foot fell towards him. She gave Kakashi an exasperated look before relaxing and walking beside him. She quickly linked her arm through Kakashi's. Her head fell against his shoulder as they walked in silence.

"You kids need to learn how to play without fighting." Kakashi gazed at Yuri over the top of his book. She blushed several shades before pouting and turning her head.

"In a year, I will be leading our pack. I'm not a kid anymore." Kiba muttered.

"I suppose so." Kakashi pretended to be interested in his book again. He raised an eyebrow when Yuri's hand slipped around his waist and dug into the side pocket on his vest.

Kiba walked to the left side of Yuri with his chin in the air. Kakashi had just gotten jealous because Yuri was playing with him. He shot the two of them a dirty look, but was surprised to find Yuri with her arm around the man and her face pressed into his neck. Her arm moved. Kiba suddenly wished he had not been the only person available for the job. If he had to watch Yuri and Kakashi sexually violate one another repeatedly he would go mad. He was a guy too. He rolled his eyes. He frowned and turned towards Yuri who had suddenly taken on a strange aroma. His nose widened slightly as he tilted his head and stared at her silky black hair flowing behind her. The scent was starting to irritate him. He knew very well what it meant.

"Do you mind if I move ahead a bit?" Kiba's voice made the woman jump.

Yuri gave him a wide smile. "If you think that is safe." She exhaled loudly when he moved ahead by almost a quarter of a mile. "Jerk." She turned to Kakashi, grabbed the front of his mask, and lowered it so she could kiss him. Her lips lingered against his for several seconds before she pulled away. Her hand slipped inside the waistband of his pants. She made a purring sound when he turned to her with a questioning look. "Play with me." She laughed softly when she felt him hardening in her hand. The tip of her index finger stroked him slowly as she gazed daringly at him.

He slipped the book into his back pocket and stopped walking. "This is breaking so many rules I cannot begin to count them."

Yuri smiled and slid her arms around his neck. She could feel his stiff erection against her stomach as she leaned in close to his face. "You want it just as bad as me. Fuck me against the tree over there."

Her eyes were glued to the back of Kiba's head the entire time. Kakashi managed to come just as the other man disappeared from sight. Yuri fixed her clothes quickly and waited for Kakashi before they ran to catch up with their partner. She laughed silently at the look Kiba gave her when she jumped on his back. If he told her he could smell Kakashi all over her, she might get offended. Then again. He stared at the blue shirt she wore. She seemed to be lacking pride. He raised his eyebrows when she pushed a clear pill into her mouth. That was something new or something he had never seen before.

"Hey, Kiba, do you want to get married?" Yuri asked thoughtfully.

"Not to you." He said coldly.

Her hand stung his face. She made a fist and shoved it against his nose. "As if I was offering, you beast."

Kiba looked at the man pretending to not notice that his woman was currently attacking him. "Uhh why don't you marry Kakashi?"

Yuri crossed her arms over her chest. "I was asking if you had any plans of marrying. Not if you want to marry me. Stupid."

"Oh. I suppose so. It would be nice to marry a woman that will give me pups."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Pups? I hope you mean children and your clan doesn't actually reproduce like that."

"Children. Same difference."

"Kakashi!" Yuri looked at the man over Kiba's shoulder. "Will you marry me?" She smiled at him widely.

The man lowered the book. He looked at the sky and pretended to be deep in thought. "If you don't think I'm too old. Sure."

Yuri blushed and hid behind Kiba's frame. She scratched her head and pretended to be interested in the flowers they passed. She told Kiba about the first time she had met Kakashi and how they had become friends and how she had been on only one date in her entire life. It was one of the longest stories she had ever told. She paused at the part when Kakashi had led her from the bar. Her snake like eyes moved from side to side in her head. "I suppose we can stop there. It's time to speed up, Shinji! Josuke, book away! It's time to run."

Kiba grimaced. "Stop calling me Shinji." He groaned when Yuri's fist slammed into his stomach. "Damn it, woman."

"Compromise this vacation and I will kill you." Her words were filled with venom. Her eyes twinkled with a strange light. She pulled her hair into a bun on the top of her head. "Keep up."


	8. Chapter 8

Yuri lay underneath a pile of covers tangled in Kakashi's limbs. She snored softly as he pressed closer against her. Kiba sat on the floor in the corner resting peacefully. He yawned loudly but didn't look away from the soft rise and fall of Yuri's chest. They had been in the village hidden in the valley for almost a week with only one lead. Yuri's father was headed towards the land hidden in the rocks. The girl had beaten several men into bloody masses of flesh before anyone offered information. Kiba gazed at the soft features of her face. How could someone that looked so innocent and somewhat fragile have the strength to take on an entire village? He continued to stare at her until he realized; she was her father's daughter. Kiba had been but fifteen when Orochimaru attacked the leaf village, but he still remembered how so many people had died. Their great leader. He clenched his hand into a fist and glared at Yuri.

"Is there something wrong?" Kakashi stood. His eyebrows rose as if to reiterate that the question had to be answered.

"No. I'm fine." Kiba could feel the man's eyes burning into him. Could his Sharingan read emotions and tell if people are lying? "I'm gonna go get something to eat."

"Bring me back some tea, please," Yuri's muffled voice floated over to his ears. She turned to him with a small smile.

"Kiba is acting strange." Kakashi sat on the floor and rested his hand on her head.

"Maybe he didn't know you sleep in your mask." She laughed and slid a hand up his arm.

"No, he was looking at you strangely," Kakashi said thoughtfully.

Yuri sat up and wrapped her arms around Kakashi's neck. "If you're worried about me, you could come under the covers with me and have some fun." She pulled him down on top of her. "Worry about making me happy." She smiled at him widely.

They had been walking for nearly three days. Three days. While Yuri walked beside Kakashi with her arm wrapped around his waist or rode on his back whenever she wanted to sleep, Kiba was stuck walking like some kind of mindless robot.

It wasn't until about eight men attacked them did Kiba understand why they had been walking. Yuri slid from Kakashi's back with round eyes. Kiba tried to imagine what was going through the woman's head. Would she kill them? Yuri blinked and turned to Kiba as if she could read his mind. She pressed a finger against her lip and smiled at him. Kakashi made a sound when Yuri dropped to her knees with her hands pressed together as if begging for kindness. Several of the men laughed, but one of them stared at Yuri as if she would be the last sake he would ever taste. That man was hit in the chest by a stong current of lightening. Kakashi grabbed a handful of Yuri's hair and pulled her to her feet. Her face looked flush as she gazed at him with longing. She stumbled away from Kakashi as several mean took that time to jump her.

What a mess! Yuri heard a ripping sound, but was relieved to see that she had not been hurt. Something hard slammed into her chest and sent her flying back until she hit a tree. She blinked away the flashing lights and stared at the fighting around her. A man with dirty black hair approached her. He struck at her with a sharp kunai. She ducked, and her foot slammed into his stomach. Was he the one that had hit her? She dashed forward, blocked his blind swings and after doing the required hand symbols, pressed her palms against his stomach. The man screamed. Yuri stepped away from him with a blank expression. She was more ready to see how the jutsu would work on an actual human instead of a tree.

Slowly, as if by some clock unknown to humans, the man fell. His legs looked like noodles for a moment before they collapsed. Then, his entire body followed suit until all that was left was skin and thick red blood pooling in the eyes and mouth of the man. She looked away from her opponent to see that everyone stared at her. One man had fallen to his knees retching up his breakfast. They all ran; one stopped long enough to grab the man emptying his stomach.

"I cannot show it to you." Yuri paced the floor with her arms crossed over her chest. She had refused to show Kakashi the jutsu since she'd seen the horror in the eyes of all the men that had been watching her. Her fingernails dug into the skin of her arms. Why did she do such things? Kiba's brown eyes had been the worst; Kakashi's reaction had been more like surprise. She made a sound when she bumped into a hard form. Kakashi looked down at her with a smile. He pressed a warm kiss against her forehead. "No."

He laughed and shoved her back onto the bed. "You can't make a jutsu forbidden unless people know about it, Yuri. Your genius is…genius. You father--"

"Was a monster…" She took a deep breath and stared at the wall. Kakashi climbed into the bed so that he leaned over her. His lips captured hers, and they locked into a deep, passionate kiss. Yuri's fingers dug into his hair. "I feel like I'm becoming a monster."

"Well, you'll be a beautiful monster." He laughed when she gently punched him in the stomach. She helped him remove his vest and underclothes.

Kiba sat at the table downstairs with a shot of sake in front of him. Yuri ruffled his hair as she sat down on the stool beside him. She lifted her bag and began to dig through it. Her heart stopped dead. Kiba could tell something was wrong from the sudden change in the aroma she gave off. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She was afraid.

"My…my pills are gone. All of them! My food pills and…oh, my. Oh, no."

Kiba reached into his pocket and held up a white casing. "This fell out of your bag while we were fighting those guys. I assumed it was yours, anyway."

A huge wave of relief came over Yuri as she opened the casing. No. "It must have fallen open it when it hit ground…"

"Something missing?" Kiba looked over her shoulder into the case. Several different colored pills had spilled out. "Those are food and chakara pills. What other kind of pills are you looking for?"

Yuri covered her face with her hands. "The kind that doesn't let me have a baby after Kakashi has spilled his seed in my body."

"Great image. Thanks."

She downed a cup of sake and pulled Kiba from the stool. "Let's go. The sooner we find my father, the better."


	9. Chapter 9

Yuri lay on a dusty table with her arms stretched above her and bound by rusty chains and her feet spread and also bound by rusty chains. Her head hung over the edge of the table so that everything she saw was upside down. Kiba hung from the ceiling with his wrist bound and the chains on a hook. He had been unconscious for nearly a day. Yuri tried to swallow again and whispered his name. His head moved slightly.

"Wake up! You came up with this stupid idea to find guides. You piece of shit!" Yuri screamed the words at him.

Kiba shook his head gently and blinked at the body lying on the table. It was Yuri dressed in a really thin white slip that left little to the imagination. He stared at her neck. "What?"

"If Kakashi is dead, I am going to kill you. Write it in stone." Yuri's olive colored eyes burned as she gazed at him. She blinked to fight back the tears threatening. The village in the rocks had been a blind lead and after nearly two weeks, here she was chained to a table waiting for some guy to come back in and rape her. She knew he would do it sooner or later. She struggled with the chains again. Her body went still when the door opened and in walked several men.

"We've been waiting for you to wake. We wanted you to see what we are going to do to your woman and to your friend." The one who spoke was obviously the leader. He was tall and bulky with short black hair and dark eyes. Beside him stood a man that reached his shoulders; he had spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. Two men that looked exactly alike with shoulder length blond hair and dark blue eyes stood behind them.

"What the hell?" Kiba frowned. Where was Akamaru? "Where is my dog?"

"What dog?" The man with the brown hair looked to the two blondes. They shook their heads.

"Stupid shits." Kiba glared at them.

The man with the black hair laughed. He walked towards the table and slowly slid his hand up Yuri's thigh. He kissed a trail up slowly. "We are in control, not you. We want you to listen to your woman's screams of pleasure."

"My woman?" Kiba laughed uncontrollably. "Where exactly is the man that travelled with us?"

"What man?" The man with the brown hair looked at the blondes again. They shook their heads.

The man with the black hair smiled at Kiba. He gently bit into Yuri's thigh. He began to unbutton his pants. He laughed as Yuri squirmed on the table. His laughter increased when she choked back a scream as he thrust into her. He blinked and pressed his lips together tightly as he looked at Kiba.

Yuri was amazed. Somehow, this man managed to feel exactly how Kakashi did when he was inside her. She hadn't screamed out in pain but in surprise. Her lower lip trembled as several tears streamed down her forehead into her hair. Kiba closed his eyes and fought back an angry scream. He was useless. He opened his eyes to find the man with the black hair staring at him while the three men behind him lay on the floor. He pulled back when the man reached up to removed the bindings from his wrist.

"I cannot drop this jutsu until we are out of here." The man with the black hair whispered. "Copy the blonde." He removed a key from the pocket of the brown haired man and unlocked Yuri. His hands shook slightly as he took her face into them. He pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I…"

She nodded and slid from the table. She did the copy jutsu and pulled on the man's clothes. Kiba stood beside her like a mirror image. They left. The man at the door asked where the brown haired man was, but the black haired man told him he would be out later. He had allowed him extra time. The guard laughed heartily and sat down again to gaze over his magazine.

"I want you two to travel to the land of ice and bring me back the prince's head." The man with the black hair continued to walk. A few people in the hall glanced towards him with hopes of being noticed. "Bring back his head and I will reward you both greatly." He waved off a man that asked to escort the blonde twins. "Do it alone. I need to know I can depend on you."

They bowed and quickly walked towards the stairs that led up. Yuri felt a part of her heart breaking. Would he be able to follow them? She felt a warm hand on her shoulder as they neared the first floor. Kiba sent her a quick glance as they continued their plights from the place. Oh, what she would have given to go back, but she knew Kakashi risked a lot to get them free.

She collapsed as soon as they made it into the forest two miles from the village. The hardness of the tree pierced her hands and made the pain radiate throughout her body. Her eyes fell upon Kiba's solemn face. She opened her mouth to speak but could only throw up what she had been forced to eat the morning before. Her hands trembled as she covered her face and pressed the back of her head against the tree.

"He will be fine." She smiled at her brooding companion.

Kiba stared at her incredulously. "Yes, he will. Let's keep walking. He will catch up." He took her hand into his and hesitated when her head fell on his shoulders. "I can carry you on my back for a while."

Yuri shook her head. "No, please." She inhaled deeply; he would come back to her.

They slept in the hollow of a tree with Yuri tucked tightly in Kiba's lap. She stared at him with wide eyes as he snored softly. Could she ever stop her heart from thumping so fast in her chest so that she may sleep as comfortable? She slid her arms around his waist and sighed. If she did not have enough hope that Kakashi could survive something as simple as that, she did not have faith in him. She yawned and rested her head on Kiba's shoulder as sleep took her.

The sun was almost in the middle of the sky when Yuri woke. She stretched glanced around the area for her prison buddy. Kiba sat on the bank of the river glaring into the water and mumbling. Had he gone mad over the course of the night? Yuri walked towards him cautiously. She forced a smile when he turned to her with round eyes and raised eyebrows. She made his heart pound in his chest and everything that worried him go away. He shook his head dismissively and stood with his hands formed into fists.

"We have to get back to the village." He scratched his messy brown hair.

"Why?"

"Pein is attacking the village." Kiba rolled his eyes when Yuri gave him a disbelieving look. "Kakashi has gone ahead. He showed up with the news not long after we got here. I told him to go ahead and we'd follow when you woke up and ate something." He pointed to a bag on the ground.

"Well, if Kakashi said it…" She sat down and began chewing on the piece of ham as soon as she pulled it from the bag. It was a little salty, but she couldn't complain since it was all they had. With ham in one hand and bread in the other, she looked up to find Kiba staring at her. "What?"

"Did they feed you in that prison?" Kiba frowned.

Yuri rolled her eyes. "Look, Kiba, I know you feel duty bound to the village, so, I'm going to let you go ahead and go home. I'm on a mission that I must complete. I have to find my father. Tell Kakashi I'm going to the village in the water. Knowing my father, even if he has amnesia, the people in the village hidden in the fire would run him crazy." She sucked her fingers as the last trace of the ham disappeared into her mouth.

"I…I don't know." The struggle inside was apparent on Kiba's face as he leaned forward and grimaced at the ground. He thought of his mother then. "Okay, but come back. Kakashi would kill me if something happened to you."

"Sure." Yuri chewed on a hard boiled egg as she stood and draped the bag over her shoulder. She gave a Kiba a look. There was no way in hell she was parting with food so quickly. She turned on her heels and began sprinting through the forest. Running implied an emergency; she had an emergency. She zipped up the bag and situated it on her back. Oh, how she would have given anything to fly. A soft giggle erupted from her at that thought. Without some kind of help, it was nearly impossible for a human to fly; gravity worked very well against that idea.

Relief. She stared at the thick forest ahead of her with narrowed eyes. She would now be able to jump into the nearest tree and move faster, but that also put her at a defense advantage. Her eyes gazed at the grassy plains expectantly. Did she want speed or defense against some random attacker? True, the grass offered little physical protection, but she would be able to see who drew near. For the sake of Konoha she had to be swift about her decisions. Then again. A loud sigh escaped her as she sat on the ground with her feet tucked underneath her. What was her problem? Did she not want to help her own village? Her hands clasped tightly against her chest as she stared ahead. She wanted to see Yuna and Kakashi. It also would hurt her ego if she saw the hokage sometime soon. Agreed. She stood and quickly climbed into the nearest tree. Pace was more important to her at the moment.

_**I know. Short chapter. It was hard to try and figure out how to work what's happening in the manga into the story. **_


	10. Chapter 10

It was freezing. Yuri clutched the cloak she'd managed to steal a few days before from the clothesline of a small hut. The wind was bitter as it stung the skin on her face. She'd better make it to the land in the mist sooner than later or she'd starve or freeze to death. If she did not stop to rest so often, she would probably be there by now. Three days of walking and she felt as if she had hardly gotten anywhere. Her shoulders and lower back ached. All she could imagine herself doing was sitting in a steaming hot bath soaking. She sighed and looked down at the cracked skin of her hands. Damned life.

Her feet stopped as she neared a clearing amongst the trees. To go left meant she would travel at least another week by foot before she got to the land in the mist. She narrowed her eyes at the place she could see several miles from where she stood. Never had she had to chance to visit the land of sound. Not only was her mother buried there, but she was sure she would find more information on her biological father. She cast a hopeful glance to the right again as she started walking towards the village. She just had to see or talk ot someone that knew her mother and father intimately. Once.

Her feet made little creaking noises on the snow beneath her feet. She should rest before she went into the city. Maybe. She wandered into the forest to the east and found that it was densely populated by at most a dozen people. She climbed into the nearest tree and stared at them moving slowly amongst themselves. The women were all dark haired with dark eyes and brown skin. The men were a mixture of colors; some had pale skin and dark hair, and others had dark skin and light hair. There was no variation in their eye color; they all had eyes as dark as the night sky. Yuri pressed her lips together tightly and made herself more comfortable in the tree.

From where she sat, she could tell she was in the men's camp. Two women lingered around the group dancing without shirts. _Disgusting._ Yuri dug her fingernails into the branch on which she sat and sighed at the one man who appeared to be infatuated with the woman nearest him. He had skin as dark as the night and hair the color of sunlight. She smiled to herself when he reached for the woman; the woman pretended not to notice as she danced beyond him. He was in love with her?

Yuri stood and dusted of the pants she wore as she leapt into the next tree. Really. Where exactly were the women hiding? She tightened the strap on the bag as she landed. What a great place to practice air attacks. Her eyes darted to the tree adjacent hers. A woman with skin almost as light as her own cinnamon complexion stared at her with round eyes. Yuri lifted a finger to her lips. The woman opened here mouth but did not utter a word. She was struck silent by how fast Yuri moved from tree to tree and reached her before she could close her mouth. A sharp black kunai appeared in Yuri's hand as she stood behind the woman. "Please, don't make me kill you. I was just enjoying the view."

The woman nodded. She blushed at the glare Yuri gave her when their cheeks brushed. Yuri bent her knees and rested her chin there as she stared at the two women below. Aha! So there were five women and eight men. She made a hissing sound as one of the blisters on her hand popped. Blood and pus oozed from the sore onto her pants. Slowly, she wrapped a piece of cloth she'd torn from the cloak she wore around the sore. The woman beside her frowned but forced a smile when she saw Yuri's gaze. She tugged at Yuri's wrist gently and moved to jump from the tree. Yuri snorted; the last thing she wanted was to get beaten up by a group of shinobi. No thanks.

The woman sighed. "I don't have anything to help your hands, but we have warm water and food. You will feel better."

Yuri stared down at the poorly wrapped cloth on her hand. She would end up cutting off her own hands if she did not find some help and medicine fast. Maybe these people did have what she needed to heal her hands but did not know it. She nodded and eased from the tree behind the woman with the use of her better hand.

"My name is Mira. My husband is Una." She smiled at Yuri cheerfully. "I am thankful you did not kill me." She stopped walking and turned to Yuri. It would have been hard to tell, but being an assassin and medical ninja had given Yuri a good eye. The woman was pregnant. She waved her hands when Yuri opened her mouth. "It is okay. I could tell you were a ninja. It took great reserve for me not to call out. I feared if I said anything, you would have killed all of us women and been gone before the men even got here."

Yuri swallowed. "I would have."

Mira nodded. "Come."

They walked a short way to a house made from clay and branches. Mira went inside first. She ushered Yuri into the only chair in the room and moved into the small kitchen. Yuri chewed on her lower lip absent mindedly as she waited for Mira to appear again. She removed her cloak and stood so that she could look out the slightly fogged window. The room was nicely warmed from the fire at the center. She looked at several scrolls and read through a book of haikus before Mira appeared in the door carrying a bowl of steaming water.

Yuri blushed as Mira unwrapped her hands and gently eased them into the water. Her nose picked up the faint scent of antiseptic. Mira lifted a white towel and slowly wiped Yuri's face. She frowned at the dirt she found when she was done. Yuri pretended to be interested in the dirtying water before her.

"I will bring food in a moment. Do you want to sleep here for tonight? I would suggest it because it will be better for your wounds." Mira sat next to her staring at her tangled dirty hair.

"Will your husband mind?" Yuri sucked in breath as Mira covered her hands with a clean white cloth.

"He hates anyone not of the land of sound." Mira's reply was honest but curt. She pressed the cloth gently. "Let me wrap this for you then you can eat."

Yuri marveled at how gentle Mira was when she did everything. She'd taken her time wrapping her hands in black cloths then going into the kitchen for the food. Yuri was ready to crawl into the nearest hole for sleep when the woman finally appeared. She fed herself quickly and grabbed her cloak when they heard an approaching voice. Yuri groaned when her left hand formed into a fist on instinct. Surely, several of the blisters had just burst. The wetness of the cloth confirmed her fears. She pulled on her cloak and bowed to Mira as she moved behind the door. A tall pale man with short curly brown hair stood a few feet away talking to the man that she'd seen get rejected earlier. Was this Mira's husband? She bowed to Mira again and opened the door. She had to disappear. Silently, she moved towards the forest and slipped behind a tree just as the taller man turned to go home. Her hands burned as she climbed into the tree. The man went into the hut where Yuri saw him hug Mira. He was her husband.

It was freezing. Yuri clutched her cloak and glared at the meager fire she'd managed to conjure from the twigs she'd collected. Mira had been right; Yuri's hands were worse. She had peeled away the cloths and burst into tears at the burst blisters and cracks. Why had those bastards taken their bags? She'd washed the cloths in a crack she'd made in the frozen lake two hours from where she camped. Her hands had been tortured during the entire ordeal, which probably lasted a minute. She sighed heavily and lay down on her cloak. What she wouldn't give to have someone there with her to keep her warm. What was Kakashi doing at that moment? As a matter of fact, she would have even settled for Kiba's grumpiness. She laughed and rolled over onto her back. Would they still be there when she returned in a few weeks? Her breathing slowed as she slipped into sleep. They'd better be there.

She awoke to the sound of something snapping. Yuri bolted upright and quickly wrapped her hands again. They were almost gray; Yuri reasoned this was due to all the bruising. She grabbed her bag and stared out into the surrounding land. Nothing. Her feet moved quickly as she flipped into the nearest tree. She grimaced as her hand wrapped around the body of the tree as she looked around again. There was nothing, as far as she could see, that had made the snapping sound. She muffled a groan as she felt skin peeling from her hand as she detached it from the tree. As a medical-nin, she was more than sure that her hand would no longer be of service if she did find the proper treatment for them soon.

A small scream escaped her as she jumped into the next tree but had to grab the branch to keep from falling. The back of her left hand covered her mouth as she eased herself up onto the branch. Things were starting to get slippery from the freezing weather. Her hands trembled as she fumbled around in the bag pointlessly. This was stupid. It was impossible for her, by tree, to successful get back to the path she'd abandoned to come into the forest. She draped the bag over her shoulder again and jumped to the ground. Pray no one see her.

She made a great deal of going all out to avoid Mira's group. She was sure she was well out of their way as she moved west. Never would she make another decision like this. Almost two days had been wasted by her torturing herself. She stopped behind a tree and took a canister of water from her bag. Her mind went into combat mode when she heard footsteps a little ways off. Was someone following her? She bit down into her lower lip as she forced herself up the tree. Sur enough, a short man with shoulder length black hair and a taller man with blond hair stood beneath her some seconds later.

"Are you sure you heard it come this way, Kahiko?" The shorter man made a show of sighing aloud.

"I did. I told you it was a woman wearing a black cloak." The taller man looked around slowly.

"You know all of this…how?"

The man called Kahiko stared at the shorter man. "Because I appreciated the skills of our bloodline while you were about chasing women."

"What else can you tell about her?" The shorter man raised his eyebrows.

"She's sick. I dunno. It's like a weak mixture between Mira's blood and that leper's blood we came across a few days ago."

"That's disgusting."

"You asked, Wasuki." The taller man closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His eyes shot open.

Yuri gasped and jumped into the next tree. She bit back tears as her hands stung as she moved from tree to tree. She fell to the ground to dodge a kunai. Her hand wrapped around the strap of her bag before she broke into a run. She flipped to avoid several more shiny silver weapons flying at her. She turned to the two men following her. The taller man was in front glowing red. She groaned and stopped suddenly. The men stopped and stared at her in shock.

"Look. I'm hurt and I don't know you. Why are you trying to attack me?" She stared at them with a questioning expression.

"I…" The short man looked at the taller man.

"You ran?" He smiled at her. He scratched his head. "Sorry. I'm Kahiko and this is my brother Wasuki. We are of the Shimada clan."

"I am Yuri. Not really in a clan…err wait. Umm Let me see…" Her mind began to tinker with different names as she tried to remember the name on the grave of her mother. Aha! "Foshikata clan."

"No." Kahiko raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"There are no people this young in their clan. Few people remain, and the youngest daughter is unmarried. Who are you really?" Wasuki took a step forward.

"A lost daughter of the clan." Yuri forced a smile.

"You smell like death and life." Kahiko pulled on a loose string on his kimono.

"Not this again, you're worse than father!" Wasuki covered his face with his hands. "Please, go." He waved her away.

Yuri nodded to them and broke into a run. She did not stop until she was near the clearing again. What strange people populated the outskirts of the village! Her eyes gazed upon the houses sitting miles away. She'd be there in another two days. She gazed down at her hands. Hopefully, they would hold up until then.


	11. Chapter 11

Yuri was greeted by a large man with blonde hair and black eyes. He had a small beard and did not seem to be too smart. Yuri rubbed her eyes with her hands and lowered the hood of her cloak. Her now turquoise eyes glimmered in the sunlight. She gave the man a reassuring smile as he gaped at her slightly swollen hands.

"Let me help you." He called out to several men that had been hiding in the trees that he was taking a break. A high pitch sound erupted from somewhere amongst the trees. Yuri frowned as the man led her away.

He lived in a small house with three rooms. He put on a pot of water as soon as he entered the place and directed her towards the bathroom. Yuri filled the tub with steaming hot water and slowly removed her clothes. She grimaced as the hot water soaked her hands. The skin began to peel the longer she let them sit in the water. She stood and half dried off because of the pain in her hand. She was about to redress in what she'd worn when the door opened and clothes were tossed into the bathroom. Her foot pushed several of the items aside until she found a long sleeved cotton shirt and black tights. The shirt reached her knees and the tights were perfect. She pressed her lips together in pain as she opened the door and eased out the bathroom. The tall blonde man motioned to a large bowl on the table that contained a purple liquid. She eyed him suspiciously.

"I had a sister your age." He smiled at her. "Come on. I promise it will help your hands before they swell up too large and burst from the infection."

She sighed and sat down in the chair so that she slid her hands into the liquid. A sound rose in her throat as she pulled her hands away; they were on fire. She stumbled away from her chair and slowly eased towards the wall. Her eyes went as round as saucers as the pain exploded up her arms. Why had she agreed to go with him so eagerly? "Bastard."

"My sister left me a year ago. She ran away with a man she was seeing secretly." He lifted a mug and sipped its hot contents. "Also, I saw your eyes before you had a chance to do that little jutsu there."

"M-my eyes…what?" Poison. He'd tried to poison her. Pain erupted in her shoulder as if someone had hit them with a boulder. Her back pressed against the wall as she slid down to the floor. She wasn't supposed to die there. She had to find her father!

"When I was younger, a man with eyes like that told me he could help me. Instead, he made me devote myself to him and he…he messed up everything I knew. They experimented with me. When he found that I was another dead end…"

Yuri blinked blindly. Had she done it? The pain in her shoulders was receding, but the pain in her arms was going to drive her insane. She moved her hand up her thigh and removed a kunai. She slowly slid the sharp blade across her arm. Black blood began to pool in front of her.

"What are you doing?!" He moved towards her.

Yuri lifted the kunai towards him. She wasn't in much pain anymore, but she felt so faint. She struggled to her feet when the blood running down her arm was light red again. She rested a hand over the cut and stared at the man as blue chakra flew out and healed the wound. Her hands pressed together tightly. "I am going to kill you. Then, I am going to take some of your blood to help me. After that, I'm going to go to sleep in your room. When I get ready to leave later, I will take your food and more clothes." She smiled at him.

The man laughed. "You think you can kill me? You can barely stand."

Yuri pulled the string from the nape of the shirt and pulled her long black hair up into a ponytail. "Don't let me hit you."

His fist slammed into her face before she could even lift her hands to block. She rubbed her jaw and pressed herself against the wall again. This cannot be happening. She felt like some kind of rag doll as he grabbed her by the hair and threw her across the room. She landed on the couch. What? She would have laughed if the man hadn't appeared in front of her almost as fast as she had landed. She rolled over to dodge a well aimed punch. Her foot slammed down onto his skull as she jumped away. His fingers tangled in her long black hair as he snatched her towards him. Thump.

"Why exactly were you at the gate? You can't even fight." Yuri turned to him with a smile. She shoved him onto the couch as he made an attempt to remove the kunai in his chest. He stared at the one on his side. She had stabbed him when he pulled her against him. "I've decided I won't need your blood, but I do need to get to sleep right after I eat." She went into the kitchen and ate the cold noodles and chicken in the refrigerator and drank a glass of water. Her figure paused at the couch where the man sat looking stunned. "You're going to die slowly. They're poisoned."

His bedroom was small with a large futon. She fell asleep as soon as her body collided with the overwhelming softness. She dreamed. She walked around a village she did not recognize with a child holding her hand. It was a girl. She pulled Yuri towards a dark alley. She looked into the child's eyes that reminded her so much of her own. The path behind her had suddenly become the way she knew to get home from the village in the fire. The child pulled harder to lead her into the dark alley. Light erupted at the end of the path and distorted the many things that had been hidden before. Yuri gasped and yanked her hand away as the light grew so large that she thought it would burn her. She backed away and screamed as the distortion grew so large that the girl became a part of it.

Yuri sat up in the bed covered in sweat. Great. She crawled from the bed and noticed that it had darkened outside. After going through the chest on the floor, Yuri decided to look under the bed. The man obviously still had clothes that belonged to his sister. She did find a suitcase. Inside was a white kimono with purple water lilies as decorations. She also found a pair of light purple hakama. How convenient for her. She went into the bathroom and washed up quickly and dressed.

The man sat on the couch staring blankly ahead. Yuri clutched the thick black cloak she had found that had gray fur lining the hood. She draped it around her shoulders and searched for food. Her bag was filled by the time she'd decided she should go. The boots she'd taken made crunching sound in the snow as she moved closer into town. A few people looked her away as she passed but not enough to cause alarm. She stopped beside an elderly woman sitting against an abandoned house wrapped in blankets. Yuri dug her hand into her pocket and dropped several coins in front of the woman. She sat down with her feet folded beneath her. The woman tried to lean forward so she could see underneath the hood of the cloak. Yuri lowered her head.

"Where do you bury dead ninja?" Yuri lifted a pair of pearl earrings from her pocket. After making sure the woman could see them, she added, "And where can I find information on Orochimaru?"

The old woman stood and shook the blanket before draping it across her shoulders. "Come."

Yuri stood and watched the woman walk ahead of her a way. Had she not just gotten into to trouble following someone? She chewed on her lower lip and cast a sideways glance at the man watching her from the noodle shop across the road. He lifted his eyebrows and went back to the bread he was rolling when he realized she was staring at him. Yuri pulled her cloak tighter and quickly caught up with the woman.

"I don't purposely lead people to their deaths, miss." The old woman's laughter was cut off by a fit of coughs. She nodded when Yuri touched her on the shoulder. "Fine, fine. The resting place for dead shinobi is to the east. I will take you to the person you want to see." The old woman smiled at her from over her shoulder.

Yuri looked at every detail as the woman led her towards the outside of the village. They walked towards a large cliff where the woman easily pushed a boulder aside and motioned for Yuri to follow. The way was lit with torches. They turned west at the first dissection and continued forward until they reached another fork. The old woman pressed her hand against the wood gently. The wall gave away to a small passage. Yuri followed her inside. She stopped abruptly and took Yuri's hands into her own. Without speaking, purple chakra poured from her and healed the Yuri's hands almost completely. There were still a few bruises from where some of the blisters had burst. She nodded to the girl as they moved forward.

It was a poorly lit room that looked like a large dungeon. Chains were on the north side of the wall. A man sat on a cushion deep in conversation with another man and a woman. He looked up when the old woman stepped onto the cobblestone.

"What are you doing here?" The man with shoulder length black hair stood.

"Just helping out an old friend." The old woman dropped the blanket and stepped forward. Her face suddenly became younger. The gray hair that was tangled on her head fell down her back in an ebony curtain. She cast dark green eyes towards Yuri. "This girl came and asked me about the cemetery."

"So?" The man frowned at her.

"She also asked me about Lord Orochimaru."

The man looked at Yuri quickly. "Lower your hood."

Yuri did as she was told. She raised her hands innocently. "I'm a traveling musician. I was attacked in a village a little north of here in the land of fire. I don't know which village it was. They took everything I had but my earrings. I heard this guy might be able to help me."

The man with the black hair frowned. "I am Iwasuke. I regret to tell you that Lord Orochimaru is dead."

The man sitting in front of him lurched slightly. He stood with sweat racing along his forehead. "I am Kabuto. I-I was there when Orochimaru died. He's telling…" The man tilted his head slightly.

"She does have a jutsu on her eyes." The woman with the long black hair had somehow managed to ease closer to the others. She winked at Yuri.

"Who are you, really?" Iwasuke asked as he frowned at Kabuto. He had begun to walk towards Yuri with eyes widened with fascination.

"I know you!" Kabuto lunged for her, but she evaded him easily.

Her cloak fell to the floor. Iwasuke stepped forward with a raised eyebrow and parted lips. His hand formed into a fist as he moved down the stairs and towards her. His black hair seemed to float out behind him. He smiled at her gently. His eyes were a light shade of blue that reminded her of the daytime sky. He held his hand out to her. His lips stretched into a smile when she took it. "Kabuto is not used to people visiting." He cast a glare towards the pale haired man. "Tell me about who you are looking for."

Yuri smiled at him. He felt so warm. She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist and stand there with him enveloping her forever. "Foshikata Yuri." Her mother had been buried with her maiden name. She looked up at the man that held her hand. He had stopped walking.

"Any reason why?" His breathing was even and deep. He smiled knowingly. "She was your mother." He chuckled.

"Kabuto does know you, doesn't he? You're obviously the little bastard Lord Orochimaru fathered with that bitch that abandoned her own village." The woman had stood now. Her pale skin matched the color of Kabuto's hair, but her eyes and hair were as black as the night.

Yuri snatched away from Iwasuke. "How dare you…"

"You dare me?" Her gloved hands appeared from within her kimono. "You? Who would come searching for people after they have died? Cowards do not dare others."

Iwasuke stared at the pale woman. "Lana, would you really like to fight this girl?" He looked at the other woman. "And you, Ishinada?"

Lana's eyes blazed with a light of pure fury. "Yes, I want to rip her into pieces."

The woman called Ishiniada frowned. "Why on Earth would I want to kill a girl that is obviously my sister's child?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"She killed your brother." Iwasuke smiled at Yuri.

Ishinada nodded. "Yes, but he attacked her. Had he known who she really was, they both would probably be here now. Regardless, I do not knowingly kill those of my blood."

"She killed Okinata?" The pale woman's face appeared to go pure white. "You're just a girl."

Iwasuke draped an arm around Yuri's shoulder. "Orochimaru's girl." He laughed. "Come, Yuri. Lana wants to fight you. Be on your toes. She is experienced."

"Wait." Ishinada glanced at an uncaring Lana. "If by some sick stroke of misfortune you win, I will kill you." She then looked at Yuri. "She's the one that kidnapped your mother. Tell her what happened, Lana." Ishinada's hands formed into fists.

"You came here for Lana." Iwasuke stepped forward.

"Yes. I waited until I had a chance to get in here. How would I know fortune would fall upon me so that a girl that looks exactly like my sister would appear? Considering that I knew she had a jutsu on her eyes, I figured she was your Lord's child. My Yuri died right after her child's birth. I also knew that once she knew the truth, she would help me." Ishinada smiled. "There, Lana, talk to the daughter of the two people you helped to kill."

**Dun dun dun… I've always held the idea that Sasuke could not have single-handedly killed Orochimaru. Realistically. **


	12. Chapter 12

Everyone in the room was surprised except for Lana and Ishinada. Ishinada had leaned against the wall and begun to cast a mischievous glare at Lana. She pretended to tap her foot in impatience. "No? Lana, why so quiet?" Ishinada smirked and walked down the steps. She stood in front of the three of them: Iwasuke, Kabuto, and Yuri and waved her hands. "I will tell them then. Lana here kidnapped your mother because Orochimaru was infatuated with her. When I speak of Orochimaru's infatuation, I refer to her skills as a shinobi. Mind you, Orochimaru was still in his original body when your mother was kidnapped. She'd met that shinobi from the leaf village, Koshiro, and ran away with him. She wrote to us. Our luck would have it that she'd come to the land of sound on a mission. Regardless, she got kidnapped and disappeared for about a year. She showed up at our door. I took her back to Koshiro. Lana do tell my niece what your role was before you abandoned Konoha."

Lana's face was red with fury. A sword appeared in her hand. She struggled to push it back into its sheath. "I was a nurse. From an early age I…"

"Lana is angry because my Yuri took not only her brother, but also her Lord. Orochimaru looked for her within the land, but dared not go outside it. He was not so…unbalanced then. He was in love with--"

"No! Don't you ever say something so disgusting. She spent the entire time here crying. It took months for her to be quiet! The only time that bitch spoke was when she thought she was alone with Lord Orochimaru. She smiled once. Once. I always gave him my smiles and love. He loved me." Lana turned to Yuri with a large smile. "I was disgusted with them. He had almost given up on this village just to be with her! I convinced him that the testing was not working for her. I had all the scientists suggest she be discarded, but he refused. He refused! I took her away that night and left her on her family's doorstep. Thank you, Ishinada, for making the second part of my plot easier." She laughed.

"She disguised herself as a nurse inside Konoha. My brother had told her that Yuri was pregnant. She was the woman that assisted in your birth. The woman that…"

"Performed a jutsu that turned her organs into liquid. I smiled as they all gushed from her body. The floor was covered in her blood." She burst into laughter.

"Why didn't you kill Yuri?" Iwasuke appeared to be enthralled by the tale.

"Because of Koshiro." Kabuto laughed. "Koshiro would have slaughtered her like a rabbit before a serpent. I do not know your father, but I know of him. She would not be standing before us if she had tried."

"Aha!" Ishinada nodded. "And then when Orochimaru brought Sasuke back with him! I heard you that night in the cemetery talking to that filthy Uchiha. I may not agree with the things Orohcimaru did, but at least he could hold his own in a fight. You and that kid…"

Kabuto stepped forward. "I knew it…I wondered how he'd done it. At first I thought that perhaps Tsunade or Jiraiya had followed us. It was you? No wonder you spent all your time outside his room in the dark."

"You ate his flesh." Lana smiled at him. "I poisoned Lord Orochimaru. The first time I gave him the poison, it did not work. Remember that week he was sick? Poison. I tried again with a different poison the following year. He fell asleep. Sasuke finished it. It broke my heart…"

Loud laughter erupted from Kabuto. "What heart? If they knew…if they knew…" Kabuto shook his head.

Iwasuke's arm fell from Yuri's shoulder again. He stepped towards Lana. "You? Orochimaru saved me when the people in my village tried to kill me. You pretended to care about me."

"Orochimaru kidnapped you from your home land. Yeh, you probably would have been killed, but the people would have been punished. You were five! I told him you were a waste." Lana lifted her chin.

"Fifteen years that I can remember of you and I walking behind the man I considered my father…and you do this?!"

"She hates you too, Iwasuke." Kabuto smiled. "She thought she would get rid of you if Lord Orochimaru took you to Konohoa that time he fought the third hokage. He didn't take you. She thought he cared more for you than her."

Lana walked down the steps slowly. Her teeth were even and white as she lifted her sword. "Lord Orochimaru cared for no one." She turned her eyes upon Yuri. "No one but himself. And, you girl, are a part of that self. I will severe all existence of him!" She jumped forward.

Iwasuke extended his hand and shoved Yuri away with the other. "No."

She stopped short and chuckled. "Oh, now you're in love with her? No one wants a monster, Iwasuke."

"You wanted Orochimaru." Ishinada stood beside Kabuto. She looked at Iwasuke. "Let her fight Yuri."

He hesitated but nodded towards the older woman. He gave Yuri a severe look as he moved toward Kabuto and Ishinada. "Don't lose. Lana is not going to live after this day, but it would be nice if you stuck around."

Lana squeezed the hilt of her blade as she stood straight. "I abandoned the leaf village to be with Lord Orochimaru. I will take all that is his." The blade lowered as she rushed her prey.

Okay. Maybe her decision to go to the land of sound had been a stupid one. She sidestepped Lana and formed a blade from chakra. Her blade seemed to sizzle when Lana's slammed into it. How was she supposed to know some maniac had killed both her parents? Her foot slammed into Lana's face as she flipped away. What were the odds? She pressed her index finger to her chin and thought about it. Never get side tracked on a mission. She flipped out of Lana's range and forced her charka sword to disappear. Lana swung at her and punched at the same time. Yuri slid away in response to the impact from the punch. Lana was obviously not a fighter. Yuri removed a kunai from her kimono and charged.

Sparks flew from their weapons as each blocked each attack. Yuri had long decided that she would do something fantastic to kill this woman. She would impress all the people watching. Her eyes darted around the room. Perhaps her father had once been in this room. She twirled away and ducked as the sword passed over her. Lana elbowed her in the back and wrapped her arm around Yuri's throat. Her sword slid into Yuri's abdomen with a sound like that of something wet breaking.

Yuri staggered away and pressed her hand against the wound. The wound began to burn. Yuri pressed her hand against the cut. The blade had gone all the way through. Warm blood coursed down her back. Blue chakra emitted from her hand, but she didn't have time to close the wound. Lana attacked her again. The woman's speed had increased substantially. Yuri was sure there was two of her. She concentrated on slowing the chakra flow to her heart. The poison was going to spread faster. She ducked and slid along the floor when Lana attacked her again. Why was she so fucking fast? Yuri lifted her hands and kicked Lana in the stomach as she came down on her. She jumped up and ran to the woman. If she was going to attack her relentlessly, then she would oblige her.

Yuri managed to disarm Lana with a kicked to her wrist, but she risked a deep wound across her chest in the process. She cringed at the blood running down kimono. She blocked Lana's kicks and punches easily. She managed to grab the woman and throw her across the room. Lana slammed into the wall, crushing several of the bricks. She slowly climbed to her feet. Yuri quickly pushed out as much charka as she could to close the wound on her chest.

"I am going to show you something no one alive has ever seen." Lana's kimono fell to the floor. She was dressed in tight shirt and black tights. She slowly removed the gloves from her hand. "I want you to go ahead and heal yourself. It will be pointless after this."

The wound in Yuri's back was just closing up when she heard those words. The air in her lungs felt as if it was being forced into her stomach as a light grew. She back away from Lana with round eyes. What was this? She stared in amazement, curiosity, and suddenly horror. Had she not dreamed of this some hours before? She reached into her kimono to find several kunais. Good. She clutched one in her hand as Lana held her hands out and columns of light appeared around her.

"Lord Orochimaru thought my power too unpredictable and too pure for him to take my body." Lana blinked at the truth of her words and the double meaning. She folded her hands and lifted the tip of her index finger so that it was in the front of her nose. "I…"

The light appeared to separate and combine at once. Yuri felt as if all the chakra in her body was seeping out through her pores. Her eyes widened in surprise as the dull yellow of the light grew to a disturbing white. Yuri's mouth opened as Lana appeared soaring through the light towards her with sword in hand. Yuri hesitated; why was she fighting Lana? Her palms flew out in an act of desperation. Why did she feel so exhausted? Her eyes were burning! She screamed and shoved every ounce of chakra she had left into the palms of her hands. Darkness. The darkness was so great that Yuri could not breathe. She screamed again as different shapes appeared around her. She was going to suffocate. The air in her lungs hurt so much that she stopped breathing. The thudding in her chest slowed to the point where she no longer heard it. Her body was weightless.


	13. Chapter 13

Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak. Yuri groaned. She tried to sit up in the bed, but felt too exhausted to move. "Hello?" He voice sounded like old wood cracking.

"Yuri?" a somewhat familiar voice whispered her name.

"Yes?" She smiled when she felt a warm hand envelope hers. "It's dark."

"Yes." The person tensed slightly. "It's I, Iwasuke. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Yes, for what?' Footsteps could be heard drawing nearer. "Hello, Yuri. I'm your aunt Ishinada here to visit you."

"I did not move in time." Iwasuke answered in a defeated tone.

"Please, Iwasuke. Yuri is more Koshiro's daughter than either of us could have imagined. Who would have known she would hesitate at the chance to kill that rat after being told such horrible things."

"Still…Yuri would not be here if I had felt it earlier."

"What's wrong?" Yuri tried to open her eyes, but felt as if her eyelids were sealed shut.

"Lana wanted to burn you alive. Her bloodline has the amazing skill of building these great walls of chakra that rob the person trapped within, and then incinerates them using their own chakra."

"But I'm alive."

"Barely." The voice she recognized as Kabuto had entered the room. "You had horrible internal bleeding. We don't know if it was all yours or--" He made a sound as if he'd been punched in the stomach.

"I'm confused."

She felt Ishinada's hand on her forehead. "Lana was going to burn you alive as she drained your chakra, but she wanted it to be a personal kill. You threw your hands up to protect yourself, but pulled back at the last minute."

"I saw darkness. I thought it killed me."

"That was Iwasuke. It wasn't even a fraction of what I've heard he can do."

"I hope you did not see anything." Iwsuke said quietly.

"Figures. I saw dark figures coming towards me." Yuri shivered at the thought of them again. They had been so void.

"I apologize. For death to have been the last thing you may have ever seen." Iwasuke squeezed her hand.

"I can't see?" Yuri gasped.

"Ironic, don't you think? The last thing you see belongs to the only other blind person in the room." Kabuto wheezed again.

"Iwasuke, you are blind?!" Yuri shot up straight.

"Yes, since I was four years old. I know, I move and act as if I am not. That is all thanks to Lord Orochimaru. He took these eyes from a man when I was thirteen. They worked for a few years, but…I can no longer see so clearly out of them."

"I'm sorry." Yuri reached up to touch her own eyes. Never would she be able to watch Aya jump from the couch to the table. She would never see Kakashi smile again. Kakashi. A groan escaped her as she gently rested her hand on her chest. "I want to see Kakashi."

"Iwasuke? You got Kakashi buried in your bag of dead?" Something crashed as Kabuto moved away.

"Kakashi is dead…" Yuri turned her head and began to cry.

"Stop crying, Yuri. You're putting strain on already severely damaged nerves. Pein killed Kakashi while he was protecting the leaf village. Okay? We've sent for a decent medic-nin to come check you out. Kabuto was able to stop your internal bleeding, but he can't heal your eyes. He knows nothing about eyes. Do you need something for pain?"

"I'm fine." Yuri rested her head against the pillow and took in deep breaths. "How long has he been dead? How long have I been asleep?"

"The term is comatose. Kakashi, based upon secret intelligence, has been dead for eight days. You've been in a coma for seven." Kabuto stood somewhere to the side. "If you swear to pick up where your father left off, I will give you my eyes."

"No!" Iwasuke stood. "Leave, Kabuto. Yuri wants nothing to do with those things."

"Knight in death's armor? Fine. Just tell me what the medic-nin says. And, Yuri, you're always welcome here. Konoha is just dust now." Kabuto's steps got lighter and lighter.

"Pein destroyed over half of the village. I think you should stay here with us a bit." Ishinada made strange sounds as she stood. "I better go check on psycho." She pressed a warm kiss into Yuri's forehead before leaving.

They sat in silence. Yuri stared at the darkness her eyes offered and wondered if she truly was blind. Would life play such a cruel joke on her? She wanted to cry; she wanted to let herself get lost in that overwhelming darkness Iwasuke commanded. She wanted to die. She had no Kakashi. She was useless.

I wasuke's finger slid between hers. "Yuri, I hope that…I want you to see again." He pressed a kiss into the back of her hand and stood.

"Wait, don't leave me, please." Yuri turned towards him. "I think if I am left alone I will stop wanting to live."

Iwasuke chuckled. "No, Yuri, you won't. I'm leaving so that you can have a silent slumber. Rather, a real sleep. You need to make sense of all that's happened. You need to sift through all your feelings. Sleep." His warm hand rested on her cheek.

Yuri nodded weakly and turned away from his voice. It did not matter if she wanted to sleep or not; someone had given her a sedative, and sleep pulled at her mind like a hungry child. Her heart felt heavy as she allowed herself to get lost in the maze of images that awaited her.

She dreamed. She stood in a field dressed in an ankle length purple kimono waving to someone standing across the field. At first, they were too small to be seen by her, but she realized who it was the moment his head came into view. Kakashi! She smiled and ran forward with the wind beating against her face and pushing her back. Her heart sank when he stopped walking and stood feet away clutching the hand of the girl she had dreamed of earlier. Yuri's hands formed into fist as she fought the strength of the wind. Her ribbon blew from her hair and left a mass of black floating in her face. She extended her hand to Kakashi and smiled at him.

He wasn't wearing his mask. On second glance, he also wasn't wearing that silly jounin outfit he was always in. Yuri was somewhat appalled to see him dressed in a white tunic and red hakama. He waved to her and lifted the little girl high in the air as they turned to leave. Yuri called out to them. The little girl, who looked almost exactly like Yuri except for her nose, looked over Kakashi's shoulders innocently. Yuri gazed into the child's eyes but stepped back in surprise; her eyes were so gray that she could not bear what it meant. Yuri pressed her hands to her face and burst into tears. Her sobs caused her heart to stop for several seconds. She tried to go forward again but was denied. What a cruel life!

Yuri sighed and pressed her palm against the cool wall. She was going to go mad. Being forced to lie in bed all day and sleep against her will was not making her like her new friends very much. She tensed when she heard voices in the hall. Her body went immobile as her hands fell to her side; she could feign sleep if she wanted.

"Blind?" A voice said with curiosity. Hands that felt very familiar grazed her cheek as they landed on her eyes. "Ahhh. She has very bad damage to her optic nerves. I could do surgery so that I can heal what I can, but making it here so late…I'm sorry. Her vision may still be poor." He sat down on the bed and lifted her so that he could remove the cotton.

"Where were you? A cousin told me you were in the wine village." Iwasuke approached.

The man's hands were cold as his thumbs brushed her eyelids. "It's almost planting season there. People get sick from all the work and dust." He lifted here eyelid. "Everything is burned away!"

"I've promised to heal it after you've done the surgery." Kabuto spoke from a corner. "Lady Ishinada was incessant about that."

"I will start immediately." The man sat on the bed again. His index finger touched Yuri's chin. "She is very beautiful. I feel as if I know her."

"I assure you, you don't, Sakumo." Iwasuke made a sound.

"W-what? What's your name?" Yuri sat up abruptly. She reached out to touch the man's face, but he jumped back in response.

"What are you doing?" The man sounded angry. His voice suddenly sounded familiar.

"Dad?" Yuri felt around the bed pointlessly. She knew from the weight that she was the only person there.

"What?" Kabuto stepped forward. "Describe him."

"P-pale with green eyes. He's muscular. He has a scar on his right shoulder. I stabbed him there when I was eight and wasn't so good at healing then." Yuri pressed her lips together.

"I don't have any scars. Sorry. Let me do the surgery and then you can find who you're looking for." He went to the bags beside the bed. He was going to sedate her again.

"Wait, why? You sound just like him!" She groaned as she drifted off into sleep. She didn't care what he said; he was her father!

When she awoke, she was alone in the room with Iwasuke. She turned towards him with the familiar feel of bandages over her eyes. She reached for his hand and felt relieved when he squeezed to reassure her. Had her father left before she could convince him of who she was?

Iwasuke seemed to be reading her thoughts. "I convinced that healer to stay. Kabuto will be in to heal your eyes shortly. The old guy wants to know how well he did. He seemed concerned for your mental state."

"He is my father."

"He fits the description, but he has no scars." Iwasuke's index finger brushed her thumb. "Why would he not know you?"

"Pein attacked him while he was on a mission. We thought he was dead, but we got intelligence months later telling us otherwise." Yuri sighed. Her body tensed when several people came into the room.

"Yuri, glad you're awake. Let me just take this bandage off here. This guy is amazing. I watched the entire surgery." Kabuto rested his hands on Yuri's eyes. "Maybe you'll see well enough to know if he's really your father or not. There."

Yuri hesitated after Kabuto pulled back. Was it okay for her to open her eyes? She took a deep breath as her eyelids sprang open. Mush. She could make out the shapes of people, but they were blurred. Her lower lip trembled as she burst into tears. "I cannot see much of anything."

"Let me see." Her father's voice was almost back to normal. The blurred blue figure stepped away from her when she opened her eyes. "Do I know you?"

"Yes, father!" She wiped her eyes and dried her nose on the sheet. "Remember me?"

"Your eyes…" His hand rested on top of her head. He laughed. "Yuri. Even when you were a baby you cried a lot."

Yuri burst into tears and laughed. She wrapped her arms around her father's waist. "The first jutsu you taught me was hiding them. Now I can't see."

"At least you're not walking around with your dead brother's name." He sat down on the bed. "I went to Konoha for a few days. Things are bad there. Kakashi…"

"I know, papa." Yuri buried her face in her father's chest. "Why?"

"I forgot all about you. I…"

"You got married to a woman a few years older than Yuri and she's expecting your child." Kabuto said plainly from the corner. "Look, Yuri is staying here with us. You shou--" Kabuto wheezed.

"Koshiro!" Ishinada ran forward. She hugged Yuri's father then her niece. "When did you get here? You must be the medic-nin they sent for. Yuri, please. Are you staying here with us?"

Yuri sighed. There wasn't anything in Konoha for her. She chewed on her lower lip. "Fine, but I want to be with my father when the baby's born."

"Who told you about that? Kabuto." Ishinada stood.

"No, no. I don't mind. I'm happy my father's about to be a dad again."

"Your father…" Ishinada stood beside the bed.

"Let's bring this chapter to a close, shall we? Honestly, I couldn't save your eyes. I suck, but at least you can see again. Who knows how well you'll be able to see in a few days?"

"And you wonder why I won't marry you." Ishinada swung at Kabuto and stomped out of the room followed by Kabuto grumbling.

"He was outnumbered two to one. I initially voted for your eyes, but I remembered the fight. Life seems to be precious to you. Now, if you will come with me, Koshiro, I can show you where your daughter is going to be staying so you can visit. Yuri. Yuri." Iwasuke bent over so that his face was close to her. He smiled when she inhaled as a sign of her seeing. "We'll get you glasses, but for now…rest. I know you're tired of resting, but it's best for you." He kissed her on the forehead.

Yuri nodded and stared at the figure leaving through the metal door. She closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep where she was met by two dream figures. Kakashi kissed her on the cheek and pushed the little girl into her arms. Yuri stared at him long and hard. She cradled the girl against her chest but realized seconds later that the child had vanished. She smiled at Kakashi smiling at her. She was complete.


End file.
